As one of the most watched races in Minnesota–and most sought-after elected offices–the US Senate race is going to be an interesting clash. DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya both won their primary election races handily, and now are going up against each other in the midterms on Nov. 3.
Sen. Tina Smith (D) is leaving her seat after eight years to prioritize her family. Smith has been a staunch supporter of Flanagan since day one, showing a clear preference for who should replace her over other Democratic or any Republican candidates. A Republican has not held the seat since Norm Coleman in 2009.
So far, polling in the race shows Flanagan is leading Tafoya by five percentage points with 46% of the vote. Tafoya has 41%, 11% of voters are undecided, and both Libertarian Rebecca Whiting and Independent Marisa Simonetti have 1% of the vote each.
Both Flanagan and Tafoya have vastly different ideas when it comes to representing the North Star state in Washington DC. Here’s everything you need to know.
Immigration
Immigration reform is one of the top issues on Minnesotans’ minds this midterm election. And after Operation Metro Surge (OMS), it’s explicitly clear why. OMS led to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, the deportations of thousands of people, many of whom did not have criminal backgrounds, and it cost the state thousands of jobs, and cost Minneapolis alone $700 million in economic impacts.
Since the unlawful federal occupation by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ICE has been seen outside polling places and observers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) have been monitoring our elections. As a result, many Minnesotans appear to be prioritizing what these candidates will do to protect the state’s residents in the future when it comes to who they will back this November.
Very simply said, Flanagan believes that “we need to rip ICE apart.” She told FOX9 the immigration system is “completely broken,” and should be “grounded in public safety, dignity, and a pathway to citizenship for folks.” Flanagan also staunchly supports bringing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, which helped create OMS, to an end.
Flanagan also believes that Minnesota is owed restitution from the federal government to assist with the fallout from OMS. This not only includes funding to repair and restore the state’s losses during the siege, but also accountability and prosecution for the federal officers that killed Good and Pretti and shot Sosa-Celis. She says that federal immigration officers are not above the law.
On the flip side, Tafoya believes that ICE is doing its job effectively, even claiming that detainees are being treated with respect. She recently said Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy who was detained with his father on his way home from school, was treated humanely by ICE.
Tafoya says that any immigrant, citizen or not, who is convicted of fraud should be deported, and wants to cosponsor and lead the Deporting Fraudsters Act with Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and John Cornyn. She also believes that “the American people overwhelmingly agree with President Trump that…our laws should be enforced and criminal illegal immigrants should be deported.” Tafoya says she will fight against “the far left’s campaign to abolish ICE and reopen America’s borders.”
Healthcare
Many voters know Flanagan not only for her work as lieutenant governor, but also her fervent advocacy for Medicare for All, a national health insurance plan which would cover Americans from birth to death. Flanagan says it’s time to ban prior authorization because “some dude behind a desk, or worse, AI, should not be blocking the healthcare that your doctor has prescribed you.”
Additionally, Flanagan wants to take back the $1 million in Medicaid payments due to Minnesota that the Trump administration unlawfully froze earlier this year. She also wants to continue to expand Medicaid and Medicare coverage to include more health services and force lower prescription drug costs.
Tafoya agrees with Flanagan on cutting prescription drug costs, but the agreement stops there. While having no specific plans on her campaign website on changes she would make if in office, she told FOX9 that Flanagan’s Medicare for All plan lets “the government control your access, when you get care, how you get care, and how much care you get.” Tafoya added that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) “did the opposite” of making healthcare cheaper and more accessible.
Because Republicans in Congress chose not to extend the ACA tax credits, health insurance premiums are unaffordable for many Americans. MNsure, the state-sponsored health insurance plan, says 900,000 Minnesotans will be forced to pay $177 more a month because the subsidies were not extended, while others will drop off the program entirely due to the cost.
Civil Rights
Flanagan and Tafoya have very different ideas on what civil rights they would like to protect (or do away with) if they are chosen to be the newest member of Congress representing Minnesota.
Flanagan believes Americans have seen many civil rights eroded thanks to the Trump administration and its appointed Supreme Court, including free speech, the right to choose and practice of religion, voting rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.
She wants to pass the federal Equality Act to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. This legislation is similar to protections outlined in the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA). Flanagan also supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which fights against voter suppression and election interference.
Flanagan recently called Tafoya a “yes sir Senator,” claiming she would not stand up to Trump when it comes to protecting Americans’ rights.
Instead of a strictly civil rights section on her campaign website, Tafoya touts a “bring back courage and common sense” plank of her platform. There, she says Minnesota “has a crisis of leadership,” calling some career politicians in Minnesota crazy, cowards, or both. Tafoya says Minnesota needs “an outsider with a backbone” to set the state straight.
Her first priority in this area is taking away transgender peoples’ right to play in the sport of the gender they identify with, which is protected under the MHRA. Tafoya says she will “protect Minnesota kids from insane ideologies and keep men out of women’s sports and locker rooms.” When it comes to protecting reproductive rights, she has called Minnesota’s sanctuary state laws “awful and barbaric.”
For election and voting security, Tafoya says she will fight for the SAVE Act, claiming that Minnesota needs voter ID and paper ballots to protect democracy. Minnesota already uses paper ballots and requires you to be a registered US citizen before voting—and instances of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.
