After seeing multiple cases of fraud in state and federal programs in Minnesota the past few years become a national news story, every candidate in every race is trying to establish themself as anti-fraud. But in the Minnesota race for US Senate, the issue is especially pressing.
Almost 90% of Americans—a record high, per a new Gallup poll released this month—believe that government corruption is widespread, and many voters don’t trust any party to address it. But based on the two Minnesota US Senate candidates’ published priorities on corruption and fraud, there’s only one candidate in the race with a comprehensive plan on the issue.
According to her campaign website, DFL-endorsed candidate Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s anti-corruption plan specifically targets “cronyism-on both sides of the aisle” and aims to take the money out of Washington DC’s politics. It also targets billionaire and corporate influence on politicians, calls for a ban on politicians trading stocks while in office, and supports ending tax loopholes for the top 1% of Americans.
Getting corporate money out of DC
A central theme of Flanagan’s campaign is rejecting billionaire backing and corporate money, as reflected by her tag line of “the many over the money.” This attitude was extremely important when going up against her primary election opponent, US Rep. Angie Craig. Craig’s funding helped make their race one of the most expensive primary election races in Minnesota history. Meanwhile, Flanagan has relied almost solely on grassroots funding, with some help from the Democratic Lieutenant Governor’s Association (DLGA). Flanagan has stated that she is taking no PAC money from special interest groups.
In the race against her Republican opponent for the general election, Michele Tafoya, the many over the money remains the sole focus. Tafoya is backed by deep-pocketed Republican groups, like the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). She also has a vast amount of wealth herself, with assets totaling somewhere between $10.9 million and $37.9 million.
If she makes it to the Senate, Flanagan vows to ban corporate money in elections and require all donors be disclosed to the public. Flanagan’s goal would also target billionaire and trillionaire donors, like Elon Musk and Richard Uihlein, who have already spent massive amounts of money in multiple state and federal elections.
No stock trading
Stock trading while in a federal office is legal, as of now, but Flanagan wants to change that. When members of Congress–or the President for that matter–do this, they have an advantage over an average trader, as they’re playing the game while making the rules. We’ve seen Trump do this over and over again in his second presidency.
Members of the federal government and Congress can sell and buy stocks while making the policies that regulate the companies and markets they’re dealing with. And, they have insider information heard in congressional briefings that the general public is not privy to on a myriad of related topics. Flanagan wants to ban stock trading for anyone in a federal elected office, including members of Congress and the president. She says, “Minnesotans need public servants who are focused on serving constituents, not their stock portfolios.”
Tafoya has not made any specific statements about stock trading in Congress. Courier Minnesota reached out to her campaign and has yet to hear a response.
Attacks on democracy
Trump has attacked the free press with defamation lawsuits and threats to certain media personalities, like ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, he’s tried to restrict mail-in voting, and wants to send federal officers to polling sites.
Specifically calling Trump out, Flanagan says she “recognizes that he has unleashed an assault on our democracy and demands that Congress immediately pass laws to protect free and fair elections.”
She supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which establishes updated criteria for states and local governments to determine when voter discrimination occurs. It also ensures that all voting rule changes must be announced at least 180 days before an election, so it doesn’t negatively impact voters, and gives governments more authority to send federal observers anywhere there’s a risk of discrimination at the polls. This is different from Trump’s federal officer dispatch, because observers would be sent to watch for discrimination, not to intimidate voters.
Tafoya’s plan for election and voting security takes a different tack than Flanagan’s. She says she will fight for the SAVE Act, which would require voters to present specific state-issued photo ID in order to vote. This isn’t tenable for everyone, like those who have just moved or use a different ID, and studies have shown it would limit registration access for women and minorities.
‘Yes, sir’ senator?
Flanagan has said Tafoya would be a “yes, sir” senator for Trump and dark money. Touting herself as “accountable to Minnesotans,” Flanagan says she believes US senators should answer to their constituents, not dollar signs.
For her part, Tafoya has made fighting fraud, not corruption, her top priority in the race. She wants to strip federal funding from any state that doesn’t create and enforce anti-fraud measures or audits.
For those who commit fraud, Tafoya wants to implement mandatory minimum federal prison sentences. But if it is an immigrant that has committed fraud, she wants to deport them, regardless of their citizenship.
