Flanagan and Tafoya Vote in Minnesota Senate Race

Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya cast ballots Tuesday in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate election, competing for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Pre-election polls generally showed Flanagan ahead, but the reports covering Election Day did not provide a result, leaving the winner and margin unestablished in the reported account. The contest was one of several races on Minnesota’s November 3 ballot. Flanagan, 47, of St. Louis Park, and Tafoya, 61, of Edina, sought to succeed Smith, who announced in 2025 that she would not seek another full term. The sources describe Tafoya as a former sportscaster and Flanagan as the state’s lieutenant governor. Three late surveys cited before Election Day put Flanagan’s lead between three and seven percentage points. Another poll reported a 14-point advantage. The survey results varied in size, and one poll’s three-point difference fell within the candidates’ overlapping margins of error. Those figures were pre-election measurements, not vote counts. Flanagan said her campaign had knocked on 2.6 million doors and held 360 events in 125 communities over 627 days. Tafoya said voters were tired of fraud...