A recent KSTP/Survey USA poll showed Amy Klobuchar leading the race for Minnesota governor by twenty points. Although Minnesota has been a blue state for decades, Democrats usually win the governorship by under 10 percent. A majority of voters, 52%, said they would vote for Klobuchar, with 32% pledging their vote for Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder.
This poll shows two things. For one, it shows how Minnesota has turned from a solid blue state to an extremely blue state in a matter of months, with ICE protests fueling outrage among Democrats and moderate Republicans alike. ICE’s actions in Minnesota have caused the state to swing even further left, and have resulted in what looks to be an easy win for Democrats in November.
Secondly, Mike Lindell is a uniquely weak candidate for the general election. He recently emerged from what looked to be a somewhat competitive primary as the most popular candidate, but he will find it extremely difficult to win in November.
Many will remember Lindell from his shenanigans during COVID, and his almost comedic ultra-Trump views. He claimed that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen, saying that “Satan” along with the “deep state” and “globalists” rigged the voting machines. He said that COVID vaccines were “the mark of the beast” and priced his pillows during a sale at $14.88, a number used often by Nazi affiliated white-supremacist groups(he has claimed this was a coincidence).
Lindell centered his campaign around fighting Tim Walz and exposing his fraud, but now that Walz has dropped out of the race, his campaign carries little momentum. He is an extremely pro-Trump candidate in what is rapidly becoming an anti-Trump state. 61% of Minnesotans disapprove of Trump’s job as president, meaning that Mike Lindell's brand of loyalty towards Trump will only hurt him.
If Republican strategists want a chance at winning in November, they cannot run Lindell. He is supportive of ICE in a state that is not, he is pro-Trump in a state that has become even more anti-Trump in recent months. His reputation for being a fanatical, and often ridiculous political activist will not do him any favors in the Minnesota election.