Peggy Flanagan wins Minnesota Senate race over Michele Tafoya

Peggy Flanagan defeated Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s US Senate race, winning the open seat held by retiring Senator Tina Smith. Her victory preserves the Democrats’ hold on the seat and makes Flanagan the first Native American woman elected to the Senate.

With about three-quarters of ballots counted, Flanagan had 54% of the vote to Tafoya’s 43%. The campaign centred partly on a public-benefits fraud scandal: Republicans criticised Flanagan’s role in Governor Tim Walz’s administration, while she said she did not oversee the agencies under investigation. Flanagan campaigned on progressive policies, while Tafoya, a former NFL reporter endorsed by Donald Trump, presented herself as willing to challenge politicians of either party.