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A new poll shows both businessman Mike Lindell and political and cultural commentator Michele Tafoya gaining momentum in the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial and Senate primaries, respectively.
The poll, conducted by KSTP/SurveyUSA, shows that while the GOP frontrunners are gaining bigger leads, the Democratic Senate primary between Rep. Angie Craig (Minn.) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is still tightening.
Lindell leads the Republican gubernatorial primary by nine points, with 35 percent of support, according to the poll. House Speaker Lisa Demuth is in second place with 26 percent, and GOP-endorsed Kendall Qualls is in third with 11 percent. Twenty-two percent of respondents were undecided. Lindell recently received a “complete and total” endorsement from President Trump, calling him “one of America’s greatest and most hard working patriots” in a post on Truth Social.
A federal judge in Minnesota ruled against the “Pillow Man” last year over his claims that Smartmatic voting machines helped rig the 2020 presidential election.
In the last month, Lindell selected Phillip Parish, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, for his running mate after Parish ended his own Republican gubernatorial campaign.
Candidates want to flip the Minnesota governor seat from Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who after two terms will not be seeking re-election. The former vice president hopeful came under heavy criticism for his handling of the state’s fraud scandal.
Prosecutors alleged as much as $9 billion was stolen by various groups in reimbursements for meal assistance aid and other services.
The Minnesota Republican Senate Primary has Tafoya leading by around 30 points, with 41 percent of the vote. She hopes to flip retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s (D-Minn.) seat.
Royce White, the former professional basketball player who previously ran for state Senate came in second place with 10 percent of support; Tom Weller, a Navy veteran who previously ran for the House received 7 percent; Adam Schwarze, a combat veteran backed by the Minnesota GOP, received 5 percent. Twenty-eight percent of respondents were undecided.
The Minnesota primaries will be held on Aug. 11.
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