Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya, a former sportscaster, said Wednesday that voters have told her it's “embarrassing” to be from Minnesota, as the state's Democratic primary produced a slate of progressive nominees.
In an interview on Fox News's “America Reports,” host John Roberts noted that early polling shows Tafoya facing an uphill battle against her Democratic opponent, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Tafoya responded by describing the mood she says she's encountered on the campaign trail.
“Minnesotans are exhausted, and John, quite frankly, they're embarrassed. I have talked to hundreds of voters in Minnesota who have told me, 'Gosh, I went on vacation this summer. I didn't want to tell people where I was from because it's embarrassing,'” she said. “And it's true.”
Tafoya attributed the sentiment to what she characterized as a shift among Minnesota Democrats toward socialist policies, a theme she has hammered on the stump. Her comments come as Flanagan, a progressive backed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ilhan Omar, has surged to the front of the Democratic field after winning the primary.
Flanagan, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2019, has championed universal healthcare and has called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel. She is running to succeed Senator Tina Smith, who is retiring.
But Flanagan's record is also a liability. She was in office during Minnesota's massive fraud scandal involving federal pandemic funds, which is estimated to have siphoned off as much as $9 billion. National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina issued a statement backing Tafoya, saying, “Peggy Flanagan oversaw the worst fraud scandal in modern American history and is now running as one of the most radical socialist Senate candidates on the map.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to paint Tafoya as out of touch. After Flanagan's primary victory, Democratic leaders including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer released a statement calling Tafoya “a wealthy Republican activist” who doesn't understand the struggles of everyday Minnesotans. They pointed to remarks Tafoya made in March on a Tennessee radio show, when she suggested that people cope with high gas prices by “taking one less trip to Starbucks.”
Early polling from Mason-Dixon Polling & Research shows Democrats holding a 49 percent to 41 percent lead over Republicans on the generic Senate ballot in Minnesota. That margin, combined with the state's recent Democratic tilt, underscores the challenge Tafoya faces.
If Tafoya were to pull off an upset, it would mark the first time in two decades that a Republican has won a Senate seat in Minnesota. But with the state's progressive energy and Flanagan's strong base, the GOP is bracing for another tough cycle in the North Star State.
