Mike Lindell withheld recount payment for the Republican primary for Minnesota governor after his campaign said the $825,000 was ready but had not been submitted. The campaign says the dispute is over the scope of the recount, and Lindell is asking for the deadline to be waived while a court reviews the plan.
Mike Lindell and the $825,000
The campaign said the money was “primed and ready to cover the costs,” but it held back the payment because state officials plan to recount only the votes cast for Lindell and Lisa Demuth, not all the votes cast in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Lindell said on Wednesday that he would personally pay for the recount.
According to state election officials, Demuth received 179,683 votes and Lindell received 134,282. Lindell finished second in the race, and the recount request depends on payment being submitted with the filing.
Lauren Bethke’s deadline
Secretary of State General Counsel Lauren Bethke set Monday as the deadline for Lindell to submit the request. Minnesota law requires an apparent losing candidate seeking a discretionary recount to file the request with the funds to cover the cost within five days of the canvass of a primary election.
Cassondra Knudson said the contingent recount plan was given to Lindell after it was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18. The state agency last week released a contingency plan showing how a statewide hand recount would be conducted if a request were made.
State Canvassing Board plan
Knudson said the plan follows state law and administrative rules on recount procedures, and is consistent with plans of its kind for the past two decades. Under the plan, Paul Linnell would serve as state recount official, and the process would be open to the public and media.
The campaign argues that the scope of the recount violates Minnesota law. Lindell is asking the state to waive the payment deadline until a court can rule on the parameters of the recount proposed by election officials.
Lindell told reporters during primary night on Aug. 11 that he would not concede until every vote was counted. The Republican nominee will face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed retiring Gov. Tim Walz.
