Mike Lindell Resigns MyPillow CEO Role Amid Campaign Finance Probe

Founder Mike Lindell resigned as CEO of MyPillow to focus on his campaign for governor of Minnesota. James Furlong, the company's president from 2004 to 2019, succeeded Lindell in the role. Lindell is seeking the Republican nomination with an endorsement from Donald Trump, competing to succeed Governor Tim Walz in a primary election scheduled for next Tuesday.

Shortly after the leadership transition, an administrative law judge found probable cause to believe Lindell violated campaign finance laws. Judge Nicholas Lienesch ruled that Lindell distributed free pillows at a Fourth of July parade in Delano to induce voters, noting the items possessed monetary value and were not exempt from the statute. The legal challenge originated from a complaint filed by Democratic state senate candidate Dan Fiskum.

Lindell denied the allegations, characterizing the complaint as an attack and claiming the giveaway was previously approved by the state campaign finance board. He argued the pillows were comparable to standard campaign trinkets. This legal development follows a separate defamation case in which Lindell was ordered to pay $5 million over false claims regarding the 2020 election.