In a Minnesota that has not sent a Republican to the Senate since 2002, the open seat left by Tina Smith's retirement has gone to Democrat Peggy Flanagan, the state's lieutenant governor, who defeated former sportscaster Michele Tafoya. The outcome keeps a familiar political ground in familiar hands, even as the campaign itself was shaped by fraud scandals, a federal immigration crackdown, and the deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis that remain under state investigation. Seen from a wider distance, the result is one piece of a larger reshuffling, where the fate of national power is being dec
Flanagan Wins Minnesota Senate Race, Closing a Key GOP Pickup Path, CBS News Projects
Two American citizens were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, an incident that loomed over the race and is under state investigation.
Closes the door on one of the few pickup opportunities for Republicans
Mark
Why does a race that stayed Democratic matter so much?
Mimi
Because Republicans needed pickups, and Minnesota was one they had hoped for. Closing it off narrows their path.
Mark
What was their argument there?
Mimi
Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, ran on accountability over multimillion-dollar fraud cases and tried to link Flanagan to the governor's handling of them.
Luke
Worth noting that link was Tafoya's strategy. The reporting doesn't tell us how much it moved voters.
Mark
And the immigration crackdown?
Mimi
It loomed over the race after federal agents fatally shot two American citizens in Minneapolis in January. The state is investigating.
Luke
Right, but "loomed" isn't a measured effect. We don't have exit data here tying it to anyone's vote.
Mark
What about the national mood?
Mimi
Republicans faced headwinds from the Iran war and tariffs, with higher prices for gas, diesel and daily costs.
Luke
Also a projection, not a certified count. And the claim that Democrats retook the chamber is CBS's projection, so I'd hold it as that.
Der Puls
- A Senate seat opened by retirement became a contest Republicans believed they could finally contest in Minnesota.
- Fraud cases and a federal immigration crackdown pressed on the campaign, with two citizens fatally shot by federal agents in January still under state investigation.
- Tafoya sought to tie Flanagan to the governor's handling of fraud, while Flanagan carried a progressive platform into the general election.
- Flanagan's win closes off one of the GOP's few realistic pickup chances, and attention now shifts to competitive races in states Trump carried in 2024.
In a Minnesota that has not sent a Republican to the Senate since 2002, the open seat left by Tina Smith's retirement has gone to Democrat Peggy Flanagan, the state's lieutenant governor, who defeated former sportscaster Michele Tafoya. The outcome keeps a familiar political ground in familiar hands, even as the campaign itself was shaped by fraud scandals, a federal immigration crackdown, and the deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis that remain under state investigation. Seen from a wider distance, the result is one piece of a larger reshuffling, where the fate of national power is being decided less by the states everyone expected to watch than by unexpected contests in places that had seemed secure.
Democrat Peggy Flanagan has won Minnesota's open Senate seat over Republican Michele Tafoya, according to a CBS News projection. The seat became available when Sen. Tina Smith decided not to run again, and the result keeps it in Democratic hands. For Republicans, it removed one of the few realistic chances they had this cycle.
Flanagan, 47, is the state's lieutenant governor and a former state representative. She ran on progressive policies, including Medicare for All, and won the Democratic primary over a more moderate rival. Tafoya, 61, a former sports broadcaster, emerged from a crowded Republican field and built her campaign around accountability after multimillion-dollar fraud cases shook the state, arguing Flanagan was tied to how the governor had handled them.
The campaign unfolded under heavy shadows. Federal agents fatally shot two American citizens in Minneapolis in January, and the state is still investigating. Rising living costs, linked to the Iran war and Trump's tariffs, also weighed on Republican candidates. Still, Minnesota's narrow 2024 margin had encouraged GOP hopes.
The result is part of a broader pattern. Competitive races opened up in states Trump won handily, and CBS News has projected that these contests, not Minnesota, will decide whether Democrats regain control of the Senate. Flanagan will succeed Smith, while the state's investigation continues.
Democrat Peggy Flanagan has won Minnesota's open Senate seat, defeating Republican Michele Tafoya, according to a CBS News projection. The result keeps the seat in Democratic hands and removes one of the few realistic pickup opportunities Republicans had this cycle.
The seat opened up when Sen. Tina Smith chose not to seek reelection. Flanagan, 47, is Minnesota's lieutenant governor and a former state representative. She ran on progressive policies, including Medicare for All, and beat a more moderate opponent in the Democratic primary to reach the general election.
Tafoya, 61, is a former sports broadcaster. She came out of a crowded field to win the Republican nomination, then campaigned on restoring accountability in response to multimillion-dollar fraud cases that have rattled the state. She sought to tie Flanagan to the way the Minnesota governor has handled the issue.
Republicans had reasons to think the race might be within reach. Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2002, but Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by only four points in 2024, a narrow enough margin that the GOP hoped to make inroads.
Other events weighed on the campaign. The Trump administration's controversial immigration crackdown in Minnesota loomed over the race after federal agents fatally shot two American citizens in Minneapolis in January. The state is investigating the shootings. In late October, it said the federal government had withdrawn from the cases, a development the source describes as dating to July.
Republican candidates also faced headwinds heading into Election Day from the Iran war and President Trump's tariff policy. Both were tied to higher costs of living, including higher prices for gas and diesel.
The Minnesota result fits a wider pattern. The Senate map at first appeared to favor Republicans, but competitive races opened up in states that Trump won handily in 2024. CBS News has projected that this allowed Democrats to retake control of the chamber.
What to watch now is how those competitive races in Trump-won states finalize, since they, rather than Minnesota, account for the shift in control. In Minnesota, Flanagan will succeed Smith, and the state's investigation into the two January shootings continues.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Tafoya campaigned on restoring accountability after multimillion-dollar fraud cases in the state.— Michele Tafoya campaign, as described by CBS News
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