Minnesota Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya is attacking Democratic rival Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan over alleged welfare fraud during Flanagan’s time in state government, as new polling points to a highly competitive race.
Tafoya, a former NFL reporter who won a crowded GOP primary last month, is urging Minnesota voters not to “give [Flanagan] a promotion” by electing her to the open Senate seat. The latest RealClearPolitics average shows Flanagan leading Tafoya by 1.8 percentage points.
“She really needs a pink slip,” Tafoya said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
Tafoya also questioned how billions of dollars could have left Minnesota amid alleged welfare fraud, highlighting concerns linked to Flanagan’s tenure in state government.
The most recent case cited by Tafoya involves Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis. Roughly $2 million was reportedly allocated to help businesses affected by ICE raids, but companies received only about one-quarter of the money after the state received 300 legitimate applications and flagged another 200 for possible fraud.
“They know they have a place here in Minnesota where they can commit this fraud,” Tafoya said. “Because no one has been held accountable. It’s remarkable.”
Tafoya said the main consequence tied to Minnesota’s fraud scandals was Gov. Tim Walz’s decision not to seek a third term.
“We’ve got a clean house, and it’s going to start with the top of the ticket, and that’s the US Senate, where people are,” Tafoya said. “We’re now in a toss-up race here in Minnesota. We’ve been trending in the right direction, and that is good news for all of us and for the US Senate.”
Tafoya is also counting on strong support from voters without college degrees, a group that favors Republicans over Democrats by 16 percentage points. She described those voters as the “heart of the Trump coalition.”
Political consultant Kellyanne Conway said many in that bloc are dealing with financial frustration and uncertainty, making turnout a central challenge for both parties.
“For them, the question is not for whom to vote; it’s whether they’re going to bother at all,” Conway said.
Tafoya said she wants voters to view the choice between her and her Democratic opponent as unmistakable.
“It’s common sense versus crazy or chaos or communism or whatever kind of alliteration you want to use,” Tafoya said. “We are a common sense campaign that is looking to restore what Minnesota loves, which is the value of the dollar, not being stolen from, not having our leaders be untrustworthy.”
Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the US Senate since 2002, but Tafoya argues that the North Star State remains firmly “purple.”
Tafoya and Flanagan are set to face each other in Minnesota’s general election in November.
