THE APEX TIMES
Minnesota GOP voters defeat MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and Army veteran Kendall Qualls in crowded Republican primary
Riley Demuth won Minnesota’s Republican primary by more than 15 points after the race was called, ending Mike Lindell’s bid alongside a crowded field that included Army veteran and businessman Kendall Qualls.
Minnesota Republican voters on Tuesday backed Riley Demuth in a crowded GOP primary, defeating MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and Army veteran and businessman Kendall Qualls, according to reporting on the race result. The contest was called with Demuth leading by more than 15 percentage points.
Demuth’s win put an end to Lindell’s effort to return to electoral politics after years of national attention tied to his MyPillow brand and his role in high-profile political debates. Lindell’s candidacy also drew broad public scrutiny because of his prominence outside traditional party channels, a factor reflected in the size and visibility of the field.
Kendall Qualls, described in the reporting as an Army veteran and businessman, also sought the Republican nomination in the same primary. Qualls’s campaign competed directly against Demuth as well as Lindell for the party’s nomination, with the race ultimately decided by Demuth’s margin once results were tallied and the race was called.
The primary’s outcome means Demuth will advance as the Republican nominee, setting the terms for the general election matchup that follows the nomination vote. In the practical sense, the result narrows the party’s standard-bearer choices to a single nominee, reducing the likelihood of a fragmented message among Republicans going into the next stage.
The contest also underscored how quickly a high-profile candidacy can be overtaken in a competitive primary field. With multiple candidates seeking the nomination, voter support ultimately consolidated around Demuth, leaving Lindell and Qualls without a path forward through the Republican nomination process.
Because the central claims about vote margins and the identities of the leading candidates depend on the reported call of the race, additional verification from election results or the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State would be needed to confirm the exact vote totals behind the reported “more than 15 percentage points” margin.
Why It Matters
- The primary result determines which candidate will carry the Republican nomination forward in the general election, shaping party messaging and voter turnout efforts in the next phase.
- Demuth’s margin suggests voters consolidated support for his candidacy rather than splitting the nomination across multiple high-profile contenders.
- Lindell’s loss eliminates a candidate with significant name recognition outside the typical electoral pipeline from competing in the general election as the Republican nominee.
- For Qualls, the defeat ends the attempt to convert military and business credentials into a party nomination through the formal primary process.
- The speed with which the race was called highlights the importance of official Minnesota election returns for confirming vote totals after media projections.
Key Facts
- Riley Demuth won Minnesota’s Republican primary in a crowded field, according to reporting on the result.
- Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder, finished behind Demuth and did not win the nomination.
- Kendall Qualls, described as an Army veteran and businessman, also lost in the same Republican primary.
- The race was called with Demuth leading by more than 15 percentage points.
- Demuth’s nomination advances him to the general election nomination stage.