Let's Go: Michele Tafoya Is on the Move in Minnesota, and It's Paying Off

One of the least talked about Senate races nationally is the one in Minnesota, which features GOP nominee Michele Tafoya, a former sportscaster, taking on Democrat Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. But it's one Republican voters need to watch, for reasons we've discussed before and which I'll emphasize again here.

The last time the North Star State had a Republican senator was Norm Coleman, who served from January 2003 to January 2009.  Between Minnesota's track record of electing Democrats in statewide races, combined with this being a midterm election year - which traditionally is a bad one for the president's party - one would think that Flanagan would be running away with it.

But she's not.

As we've previously reported, Tafoya has run a strong campaign and kept it close, with polls mostly showing her trailing Flanagan only by low single digits, with some of the results showing either a dead heat or the difference being within the poll's margin of error.

And with roughly five weeks to go between now and Election Day, the latest one, from Insider Advantage, again shows them neck and neck:

Insider Advantage poll | 9/28-9/29 LV

US Senate Minnesota 2026

🟦Peggy Flanagan 46%
🟥Michele Tayofa 45%
🟨Rebecca Whiting 2%
⬜️Marisa Simonetti 1%

Link to poll: https://t.co/ORbNbz0naQ pic.twitter.com/zlW6zwsGbc

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) September 30, 2026

Tafoya's reaction when she saw the results? To urge Minnesotans to go and vote:

35 days. Go vote, Minnesota! https://t.co/ZDJqq6INHn

— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) September 30, 2026

How has she done it? In part by routinely reminding the state's voters of the myriad fraud scandals that occurred under the watch of both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Flanagan. For her part, Flanagan has thrown Walz under the bus in an effort to try and avoid scrutiny of her actions:

GEIST: Do you deserve any responsibility though, Lt Gov, for those fraud schemes that have taken place in your state over the past several years?

FLANAGAN: The governor says the buck stops with him. More should have been sooner. And I agree. pic.twitter.com/LRPAxEFiKz

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2026

Flanagan has also done herself no favors on other fronts:

You literally celebrated the commuted sentence of Leonard Peltier.

He was convicted of murdering two federal agents, Peggy. pic.twitter.com/2OrLfk5zep

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) September 16, 2026

Flashback to when Peggy Flanagan admitted to participating violent protest that led to 21 officers being injured.

Even after the fact, she admits she would’ve done it again. pic.twitter.com/PtyQ7qtkKi https://t.co/WKWdo5TiuC

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) September 16, 2026

There was also this:

2 years ago while wearing a shirt with a knife that says “Protect Trans Kids,” Minnesota Dem Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on protecting access to sex changes:

"When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them." pic.twitter.com/67Ii238bAN

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 28, 2025

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wore a ‘Protect Trans Kids’ T-shirt with an image of a knife whilst Gov. Walz signed a bill to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for trans people in 2023. pic.twitter.com/kvaqyAAIQ1

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 27, 2025

And this:

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan @peggyflanagan wore Islamic modesty coverings in a video supporting the state’s Somalis. She also does an Arabic Islamic greeting. This woman previously wore the shirt “protect trans kids” that featured a knife as a threat.pic.twitter.com/t5mzSGvrfr

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) December 26, 2025

In other words, unlike Tafoya, Flanagan has a lot of baggage to exploit, most of which she brought on herself.

This race reminds me somewhat of the Georgia gubernatorial race between GOP nominee Rick Jackson and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democrat nominee. Jackson has narrowed the polling gap by relentlessly targeting Bottoms over her abysmal record and statements made both during her time as mayor and after. Jackson, a businessman, is a newcomer to politics and thus doesn't have a lengthy record to pore over, which puts Bottoms at a distinct disadvantage headed into the November midterm election.

Though Tafoya is well known in her state, she, too, is a newcomer to politics to the extent that Flanagan and her media allies have been reduced to digging through her social media feeds for things on which to try and ding her.

But in Minnesota, which tends to trend blue in statewide races, Flanagan's attacks don't seem to be moving the needle in her direction.  Meanwhile, Tafoya recently made her full case to voters in an opinion piece posted Tuesday by the Duluth News Tribune.

In recent election cycles, we've seen voters in both parties take anti-incumbent/anti-establishment stances, in some cases preferring people who have little to no political experience in an attempt to shake things up.  If that trend continues in November, Tafoya might find herself in the position of being the nominee who not only helps get her state back on track but also saves the Senate for Republicans.

Wouldn't that be something?

As always, stay tuned.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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