# Democrat Flanagan leads in Minnesota Senate race by double digits: Poll

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/democrat-flanagan-leads-in-minnesota-senate-race-by-double-digits-poll/
- Published: 2026-10-28T13:36:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T00:47:48+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hill (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6177318-peggy-flanagan-leads-minnesota-senate-poll/
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Flanagan led Tafoya 54% to 40% in a late-October poll.
- The 14-point gap was considerably wider than in other surveys.
- The candidates are contesting retiring Senator Tina Smith’s seat.

## Summary

A New York Times/Siena poll published on 28 October put Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate for an open US Senate seat, on 54% against 40% for Republican Michele Tafoya. The survey questioned 752 Minnesota voters between 19 and 26 October and reported a margin of sampling error of 4.1 percentage points. The candidates are seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Tina Smith.

The 14-point lead was much wider than Flanagan’s advantage in several other polls. A Decision Desk HQ polling average cited when the survey appeared put her ahead by 47.4% to 43.8%, while local election analysts described the new result as an outlier. The poll therefore indicates a sizeable lead among its respondents, but does not establish that the wider race has shifted by the same amount. It also found that 62% of respondents disapproved of President Donald Trump’s job performance, compared with 35% who approved.

## Coverage

- [The Hill: Democrat Flanagan leads in Minnesota Senate race by double digits: Poll](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6177318-peggy-flanagan-leads-minnesota-senate-poll/)
- [CBS News Minnesota: Latest polls show Klobuchar, Flanagan with double-digit leads against opponents in Minnesota midterm races](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-us-senate-poll-flanagan-tafoya-key-races-election/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.