Minnesota gubernatorial hopeful Mike Lindell is stepping down as CEO of MyPillow to keep his focus on his campaign as his state residency is thrown into question.
“After 22 years of leading MyPillow, I know the company is ready for its next chapter and I know Minnesota cannot wait,” he said Tuesday. “This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve. I am putting Minnesota above myself, my title, and my business interests so I can give this campaign and the people of our state my full time, energy, and attention.”
The MyPillow founder also reduced his ownership stake in the company to a minority and will remain on the board of directors.
Former MyPillow director James Furlong will take over as CEO.
The announcement comes on the heels of the state Republican Party asking to clarify the state residency requirement, questioning whether Mr. Lindell is eligible to run for office.
The party asked the secretary of state to clear up constitutional residency rules for gubernatorial candidates before the Aug. 11 primary.
“Voters in Minnesota are entitled to clear guidance on the governing residency standard before they cast a ballot, not after,” Minnesota GOP Chairman Alex Plechash wrote in a July 30 letter to Secretary of State Steve Simon. “The Republican Party does not want Minnesotans who vote for any candidate for Governor to find, after the fact, that their vote was effectively wasted because the candidate did not meet constitutional qualification that could and should have been clarified in advance.”
Mr. Lindell acknowledged that he had been living in Texas as recently as 2025, sparking concern over his current residence.
He told KSTP that he has lived and worked in Minnesota since August 2025, and told MPR in December that he had switched his residency around the same time as he contemplated a run for governor.
“I was up Minnesota all my life. … I was in Texas for about a year because my wife lives there and now I switched it back last summer,” he said.
Minnesota’s Constitution says that gubernatorial candidates must be a “bona fide resident” of the state for one year immediately preceding the election, meaning a candidate for the Nov. 3 general election must have established residency by Nov. 3, 2025.
The state GOP’s letter was received by the secretary of state’s office last Thursday, it said, and responded with an explanation of the candidate filing process.
“During that process, the filing officer verifies the residential address listed on the affidavit of candidacy is within the appropriate geographical area and matches a proof of residency document that the candidate provides,” the office said.
Early voting is underway for the Aug. 11 primary, where Mr. Lindell faces Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls, the health care executive who won the state party’s endorsement at its convention in Duluth.
Mr. Lindell has led recent polling and widened his advantage after President Trump gave him a “complete and total” endorsement in July. Mr. Qualls has argued the primary “won’t be won by national endorsements,” while Mr. Plechash has suggested the residency questions stem partly from concerns that Mr. Lindell would fare worse than his rivals against Democrats in November.
Whoever wins the GOP nomination is expected to face Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the favorite for the Democratic nomination, who has led Mr. Lindell by double digits in hypothetical general-election matchups.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.