Minnesota voters will elect a new U.S. senator as Democratic Farmer-Labor Party candidate Peggy Flanagan faces Republican candidate Michele Tafoya at the polls.
Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor, is running as a progressive on issues like Medicaid for all, universal childcare and “dismantling” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Tafoya, a former national TV sportscaster, is positioning herself as a moderate Republican on issues like abortion while also hammering Flanagan on the state’s fraud cases.
Either will make history as Minnesota’s first person of color elected to the U.S. Senate.
“I’m not running to make history, but it is about damn time we have a Native American woman serving in the Senate,” Flanagan told Sahan Journal in August. “When our elected officials reflect the communities they represent, I think that’s good for democracy.”
Flanagan, a member of White Earth Nation, could become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Tafoya could become Minnesota’s first Latina senator.
“It’s time for a political outsider and a reformer with a real plan for working families,” Tafoya said in her campaign launch video.
Flanagan has linked Tafoya to President Donald Trump, noting his endorsement of her. She has also criticized Tafoya for statements she made last spring telling the public to have a “stiff upper lip” and take less trips to Starbucks to pay for the war against Iran. Tafoya changed her position last month and called for a “responsible” end to the Iran war.
Most polls show Flanagan leading by a narrow margin, suggesting a potentially tight race.
As of July, the most recent date for campaign finance reporting, Flanagan had raised $6.5 million to Tafoya’s $5.2 million. National Republican groups have not spent money on Tafoya, while the national Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association spent $3.15 million on Flanagan leading up to the August primary election.
Libertarian Party candidate Rebecca Whiting and independent candidate Marisa Simonetti are also running for the Senate seat. Simonetti unsuccessfully ran for Hennepin County Board in 2024. She was also sued that year for throwing a tarantula at her tenant.
Check back for updates tonight from Flanagan and Tafoya’s watch parties.
Polling places close at 8 p.m. Live election results will be updated approximately every 10 minutes throughout the evening.
The post Live: Flanagan, Tafoya watch parties and election results appeared first on Sahan Journal.
