My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell — a fervent supporter of President Trump who has lost legal disputes over unproven claims about the 2020 election — is defending the way his campaign for Minnesota governor is bulk-buying copies of his self-published memoir to give to voters.
“Instead of giving them a little flyer about me, this is my memoir, this is my autobiography and showing these people who I am,” Lindell told “NewsNation Prime” on Sunday.
Lindell is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in a crowded GOP field. His campaign took in $352,000 from individual contributions and spent nearly $190,000 on Lindell’s book, according to filing disclosures that offer a snapshot early in the contest.
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Lindell’s campaign intends to buy even more of the books, the candidate said, because it’s getting them at a “very good price” from employee-owned My Pillow.
“What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO” is described as Lindell’s “raw, authentic account” of his transformation from a drug-addicted gambler to born-again leader of a retail empire.
Lindell’s success as a quirky celebrity pitchman took a hit because of his political alliance with Trump, and he is characterized as a conspiracy theorist because of his insistence the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Lindell has lost a series of suits and legal battles from plaintiffs alleging he defamed them and has said his finances have been decimated.
Trump has expressed support for Lindell, but a recent straw poll among Republicans placed him third among GOP candidates running for Minnesota governor. The state last elected a GOP governor in 2006.
If elected, Lindell said he would crack down on demonstrators, including those who have protested against the Trump administration.
Incumbent Gov. Mike Walz, a Democrat, has said he won’t seek reelection after a fraud scandal that rocked his administration.