Mike Lindell, the supporter of President Donald Trump known to TV viewers as the "MyPillow Guy," officially entered the race for Minnesota governor Thursday in hopes of winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat Gov. Tim Walz.
"I'll leave no town unturned in Minnesota," Lindell told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of a news conference set for Thursday.
He said he has a record of solving problems and personal experiences that will help businesses and fight addiction and homelessness as well as fraud in government programs.
The fraud issue has particularly dogged Walz, who announced in September that he's seeking a third term in the 2026 election.
Lindell, 64, founded his pillow company in Minnesota in 2009 and became its public face through infomercials that became ubiquitous on late-night television.
But he and his company faced legal and financial challenges after he became a leading backer of Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He said he has overcome them.
"Not only have I built businesses, you look at problem solution," Lindell said in his trademark rapid-fire style.
"I was able to make it through the biggest attack on a company, and a person, probably other than Donald Trump, in the history of our media ... lawfare and everything."
While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, the state's voters have a history of making unconventional choices.
They shocked the world by electing former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor in 1998. And they picked a veteran TV pitchman in 1978 when they elected home improvement company owner Rudy Boschwitz as a U.S. senator.
Lindell has frequently talked about how he overcame a crack cocaine addiction with a religious conversion in 2009 as MyPillow was getting going.
His life took another turn in 2016 when he met the future president during Trump's first campaign. He served as a warm-up speaker at dozens of Trump rallies and co-chaired Trump's campaign in Minnesota.
A Trump endorsement could be the key to which of several candidates wins the GOP nomination to challenge Walz.
Lindell said he doesn't know what Trump will do, even though they're friends, and said his campaign isn't contingent on the president's support.
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