'Can't laugh him off': Analyst warns of MAGA's resurgent 'minor character'

A "minor character" in the MAGA movement is staging a comeback by running for Minnesota governor, and one analyst warned on Thursday that Americans can't simply laugh him off this time around.

Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow, announced on Thursday that he is running for Minnesota's governor. If he wins the primary, he will face off against Democratic incumbent Gov. Tim Walz.

Lindell rose to fame in 2020 for his efforts to help President Donald Trump subvert the 2020 election results. Molly Olmstead, a senior writer for Slate, noted in a new report on Thursday that Lindell's efforts were "core to the movement to overturn a democratic election."

Even though Lindell's efforts appeared comical at times, Olmstead warned that Lindell needs to be taken seriously.

"Mike Lindell may have been one of the most comedically rich minor characters to feature in recent U.S. politics. But in the times we’re in, that doesn’t mean we can laugh him off," she wrote.

She noted one particular appearance Lindell made on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" where host Jimmy Kimmel described him as what would happen if "Ted Lasso was on the FBI watch list." That joke seemed to make Lindell look harmless, but Olmstead argued the opposite is true.

"Unfortunately, the Kimmel appearance, and other similarly comedic incidents, have served to make him seem affable or even in on the joke," she wrote. "But Lindell appears to be a true believer and has only ever been dead serious about assaulting the integrity of our political system. Lest we forget the extreme nature of his project, Lindell has also worked with and taken smiling selfies with white nationalists."

Read the entire report by clicking here.