House Majority Whip Tom Emmer has said Minnesota’s welfare fraud scandal will be a central issue in the contest for the state’s open US Senate seat. He argued that the alleged failures under Governor Tim Walz’s administration could damage Democratic Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, making the scandal a significant political liability in a high-stakes race.

Flanagan won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night and is seeking to succeed in the open Senate seat. Emmer, a Republican congressman from Minnesota, said the scale of fraud within state government would feature prominently in the campaign, linking Flanagan to the Walz administration in which she serves as deputy governor.