Mike Lindell Puts Welfare Fraud at Heart of Minnesota Governor Campaign

By Sam Barron | Monday, February 2, 2026

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who is running for governor of Minnesota, said on Monday he will make the state’s welfare fraud scandal a centerpiece of his campaign.

“This fraud is not going to go away,” Lindell, who is seeking the Republican nomination, told a prominent television program.

Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, announced he was not running for a third term amid the welfare fraud scandal. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., entered the governor’s race after Walz dropped out.

But Lindell doesn’t think it will make a difference.

“This happened under her watch, too,” Lindell said. “I’m not going to let up at all on Amy Klobuchar because this happened over her watch, and she knew all about it.”

Lindell also pledged to ban Sharia — Islamic law — on his first day in office.

“That’s one thing that has to be done in Minnesota,” Lindell said. “This is a problem we’ve had for a decade with businesses like my own, and this is one of the hidden problems.”

Considering the fraud scandal, the business magnate said he wants to replace welfare programs with money from the private sector.

“I have this all laid out in my government plan to be able to do that, because you take out the fraud,” Lindell said.

“You have to look at these programs,” Lindell said. “Why were they there in the first place? We have to get to the bottom of that.”

Lindell said he was confident he could defeat Klobuchar.

“She’s got a big name, but I’ve got a big name, too,” Lindell said.

Lindell said he would use what he learned campaigning for President Donald Trump to help get MAGA voters to the polls.

“Minnesota, I’m never going to stop,” Lindell said. “I’ve got a great plan.”