Democrat Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota’s US Senate race Tuesday, defeating Republican Michele Tafoya in a closely watched midterm contest for the seat held by retiring Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, will become the first Native American woman elected to the upper chamber.
Flanagan led with 54% of the votes, compared to Tafoya’s 43% with about three-fourths of the ballots counted.
The race drew national attention amid scrutiny of Minnesota’s sprawling public-benefits fraud scandal, which dogged Flanagan’s campaign and contributed to Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to abandon his bid for a third term.
The Democratic victory preserves the party’s hold on a seat in a state that has not elected a Republican to the US Senate since 2002.
The result is a setback for Republicans, who had hoped to capitalize on scandals and flip a traditionally Democratic state’s open seat.
Republicans worked to make Flanagan’s ties to the Walz administration a central issue, arguing that she should be held accountable for fraud that occurred while she was the state’s second highest-ranking official.
Her years in the Walz administration became a central vulnerability during the campaign. Flanagan acknowledged that more should have been done to stop the abuse of taxpayer funds, but claims she was not responsible for overseeing the agencies at the center of the fraud investigations.
The 46-year-old ran for Senate as a progressive, supporting Medicare for All, universal child care and a $17 federal minimum wage.
Tafoya, 61, a former NFL sideline reporter who became a conservative political commentator, promised during her campaign to hold politicians accountable, despite their party affiliation. She received President Trump’s endorsement but also sought to portray herself as willing to break with Republicans when she deems it to be necessary.
Most famously known as a sideline reporter for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” Tafoya took a more moderate position on abortion than many Republicans, stating that she supports abortion access through 12 weeks of pregnancy.
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During the candidates’ October debate, Tafoya vowed to be an “equal opportunity pain in the ass” to corrupt politicians in Washington, regardless of party, while accusing Flanagan of dodging responsibility for the fraud scandal. Flanagan countered by criticizing Tafoya’s ties to Trump and her positions on issues including immigration and abortion.
The race was closely watched nationally as Republicans sought to capitalize on Democratic vulnerabilities in Minnesota and hold their ground in the Senate.
The Minnesota Senate race added to Democrats’ takeover of the Senate.
