Democrat Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota’s US Senate election Tuesday, defeating Republican Michele Tafoya in a closely followed midterm contest to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, is set to become the first Native American woman elected to the US Senate.
With roughly three-quarters of the ballots counted, Flanagan held 54% of the vote to Tafoya’s 43%.
The contest attracted national attention as Minnesota faced continued scrutiny over a wide-ranging public-benefits fraud scandal. The issue shadowed Flanagan’s campaign and helped fuel Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to end his effort to seek a third term.
Flanagan’s victory allows Democrats to retain control of a Senate seat in a state that has not elected a Republican senator since 2002.
The outcome represents a disappointment for Republicans, who had hoped to use the scandals to win an open seat in a state that has traditionally leaned Democratic.
Republican strategists made Flanagan’s connection to the Walz administration a major focus of their campaign, arguing that she should answer for fraud that occurred while she served as Minnesota’s second-highest-ranking official.
Flanagan’s tenure in the Walz administration emerged as one of her biggest political liabilities. She conceded that officials should have taken stronger steps to prevent taxpayer money from being misused, while maintaining that she did not supervise the agencies at the heart of the fraud investigations.
The 46-year-old candidate campaigned as a progressive, backing Medicare for All, universal child care and a $17-an-hour federal minimum wage.
Tafoya, 61, entered politics after years as an NFL sideline reporter and conservative commentator. She pledged to challenge corruption regardless of party affiliation. Although she had President Trump’s endorsement, Tafoya also presented herself as someone willing to oppose fellow Republicans when she believed it was warranted.
Best known for her work on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” Tafoya took a comparatively moderate stance on abortion for a Republican candidate, saying she supported access through the 12th week of pregnancy.
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At an October debate, Tafoya promised to be an “equal opportunity pain in the ass” for corrupt politicians in Washington, regardless of their party. She also accused Flanagan of evading accountability for the fraud scandal. Flanagan responded by highlighting Tafoya’s relationship with Trump and criticizing her views on immigration and abortion.
The Minnesota Senate race drew national interest as Republicans looked to exploit Democratic vulnerabilities in the state while defending their position in the Senate.
Flanagan’s win contributed to the Democrats’ takeover of the Senate.
