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Flanagan, Tafoya Clash Over Minnesota Fraud in Debate

By Drooid · Oct 17, 2026, 3:25 AM UTC · How we work

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Unexpected Trump Endorsement

Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya debated Friday, October 16, 2026, at Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in Paul.
U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Tafoya earlier that week, a endorsement that she said she had only “heard about.”
The debate focused on alleged billions-dollar state program fraud, which Tafoya blamed on Democrats.
Flanagan accused Tafoya of reinventing herself and dismantling ICE, while Tafoya criticized Noem’s ICE rollout.

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Deflection Accusation

Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya debated on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in St. Paul.
Tafoya accused Flanagan of deflecting responsibility for the state’s multi-billion-dollar fraud scandals.
Flanagan said Governor Tim Walz has ultimate oversight and cited her $250 million school-meal fraud leadership.
RealClearPolitics polls show Flanagan leading Tafoya by 2.6 percentage points.

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Unexpected Trump Endorsement

Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya debated Friday, October 16, 2026, at Minnesota Public Radio headquarters in Paul.
U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Tafoya earlier that week, a endorsement that she said she had only “heard about.”
The debate focused on alleged billions-dollar state program fraud, which Tafoya blamed on Democrats.
Flanagan accused Tafoya of reinventing herself and dismantling ICE, while Tafoya criticized Noem’s ICE rollout.

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