By Michelle Griffith | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
As I wrote earlier this week, MyPillow CEO and GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell — at least according to his latest campaign finance report — spent $545 on June 30 and reported no expenses in July, an unusual move for a campaign in the middle of a contested primary.
Lindell told me that he’s actually spent about $200,000 on yard signs and other expenses in the past few months, but the campaign only got billed for those recently. He said the expenses will show up on the next campaign finance report, which will come out after the Aug. 11 primary election.
One thing I forgot to include in my story is that two weeks ago Lindell had told me his campaign at that point had “raised upwards of $3 million,” which is not reflected in the latest campaign finance report. It shows he’s raised nearly $1.1 million.
After President Donald Trump endorsed him, Lindell was confident that MAGA-aligned groups and donors would pour money into his campaign. Trump endorsed him on July 15, and the campaign reports show donations up to July 20. MAGA donors didn’t flock to his campaign, at least in the immediate days after the endorsement.
This is our final look into the Lindell campaign’s finances before the Aug. 11 primary, other than large contribution reports, so Republican primary voters who want to know more about the pillow mogul's campaign finances won’t have much to go on.
Despite the apparent lack of spending by his campaign, Lindell is still polling ahead of GOP-endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls and House Speaker Lisa Demuth. People on prediction markets are also betting that he will win. The primary election is less than two weeks out.
ICYMI: Our roundup of the Reformer’s Lindell coverage over the years.
Onto today’s Reformer.
Federal agents fill several blocks with tear gas, including parts of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, as they leave near the scene of 26th Street West and Nicollet Avenue, where federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, the third shooting in as many weeks. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
By Kate Morrissey
Human rights investigators have documented hundreds of instances of misuse of crowd-control weapons at protests of immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Department of Homeland Security employees and local law enforcement both committed violations of standards of use for crowd-control weapons, injuring protesters, according to a report from Physicians for Human Rights and the University of California, Berkeley’s Human Rights Center. The authors of the report called for manufacturers to stop making certain weapons that are particularly harmful and likely to be misused and urged law enforcement agencies to change their use-of-force policies.
Immigration officials and other law enforcement have used a mix of tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, pepper balls, flashbangs, batons and shields on crowds gathered to protest during large-scale immigration enforcement operations in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.
By Shalina Chatlani
In 49 states, the number of people enrolled in Obamacare plans has declined since Congress made coverage more expensive by allowing federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year.
The lone exception was New Mexico, the only state that has used its own money to fully replace the expired aid, according to a new analysis by KFF, a health policy research group.
Late last month, the Trump administration announced that overall participation in the health insurance marketplaces created under Obamacare, officially called the Affordable Care Act, had declined by nearly 3 million people, to about 19.2 million from 21.8 million in 2025. That 2025 figure, the highest ever recorded, was the culmination of six years of steady increases.
By Anne Schwagerl
The vice president of the Minnesota Farmers Union writes about the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. A recent audit found areas of improvement for the program, but it has many benefits, like connecting farmers with cost-share opportunities.
“The program is the first of its kind in the nation and continues today to be innovative and responsive to farmer needs and environmental concerns. Minnesota has long been a leader in agricultural innovation, and the MAWQCP reflects that tradition. It recognizes that conservation isn’t a one-size-fits-all checklist but an ongoing process of learning,” Schwagerl writes.
IN OTHER NEWS
That’s all from me. Have a great Thursday!
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