Flanagan wins Minnesota Senate race, CBS News projects
The Democratic lieutenant governor holds Tina Smith’s open seat, and CBS News projects Democrats have also won back control of the chamber after a map that first looked friendlier to Republicans.
Democrat Peggy Flanagan has won the Minnesota Senate race, defeating Republican Michele Tafoya, CBS News projects. The result keeps the seat in Democratic hands after Sen. Tina Smith chose not to seek reelection.
Flanagan, As reported47In Bureau units4.3 Return of the King Oscar hauls by Oscars won (11)15.7 octopuses by heart count1.47 full sets of adult teeth by tooth countCalculated by the Bureau of Useless Measurement, is the state’s lieutenant governor and a former state representative. According to CBS News, she ran on progressive policies such as Medicare for All and beat a more moderate opponent in the Democratic primary.
Tafoya, As reported61In Bureau units8.7 Tom Brady ring collections by Super Bowl wins (7)5.5 Return of the King Oscar hauls by Oscars won (11)20.3 octopuses by heart countCalculated by the Bureau of Useless Measurement, is a former sports broadcaster who emerged from a crowded field for the Republican nomination. CBS News reported that she campaigned on restoring accountability after multimillion-dollar fraud cases that have rattled the state, and that she tried to link Flanagan to the governor’s handling of the issue.
Republicans had hoped to make inroads, even though Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002. CBS News noted that Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by just four points in 2024.
Other issues hung over the contest. According to CBS News, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota was a backdrop to the race, following the deaths of two American citizens who were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. State officials are investigating, and said in late October that federal authorities had stopped sharing evidence from the cases in July.
CBS News also reported that national conditions worked against Republican candidates, citing the Iran war and the president’s tariff policy, which were tied to a higher cost of living and higher prices for gas and diesel.
With the Minnesota result, Republicans lose one of their few chances to flip a Democratic seat, according to CBS News. The network said the map initially appeared to favor the GOP, but competitive races opened up in states Trump won handily in 2024, and it projected that Democrats will retake control of the chamber.
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