(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Attorney General Keith Ellison on the campaign trail over the weekend in Duluth.
This comes as Democrats make a final push ahead of Election Day, which is in just eight days.
Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is a self-described democratic socialist. He organized the event in support of the Democratic candidates, criticizing President Donald Trump during his remarks.
“The policies that he has brought forth and that the Republicans have passed have been designed to make the richest people in America richer, while working people have been devastated and hit so hard,” Sanders said.
Flanagan is running against Republican and sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race.
Flanagan currently leads Tafoya 47% to 42.6%, according to the average of the five most-recent polls compiled by 270toWin.
Flanagan, who has served alongside Democrat Gov. Tim Walz since 2018, is running amid ongoing scrutiny of the Walz administration. She has called out Tafoya for being endorsed by Trump, something Flanagan hit on during the Saturday rally.
“Let me be crystal clear: Michele Tafoya isn’t running to stand up to Donald Trump. She’s running to stand with him,” she said. “Either way, all MAGA Republicans end up the same: doing Donald Trump’s bidding.”
A Republican candidate has not won a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota since 2002. Tafoya hopes to be the first, labeling herself a political outsider and downplaying the Trump endorsement.
“My closing message to every Minnesotan is simple: you deserve leaders who put you first. You’ve seen what years of failed experiments have done to our state, and you know we can’t afford more of the same,” Tafoya said in a statement on Friday. “I’m offering common sense solutions and an independent voice that answers to you, not a party boss. If you want a safer, stronger, more affordable Minnesota, we’re on the same team.”
Ellison is running for re-election as the Minnesota Attorney General against Republican challenger Ron Schutz. Ellison also appeared at the rally.
This was Sanders’ third visit to Minnesota this election season to campaign with Flanagan. He called the event a “rally to defeat the oligarchs, stand up for working people, and build a government that works for all of us.”
On Monday, Flanagan’s campaign also released an endorsement video from Former President Barack Obama.
“She’s running for Senate to fight for universal healthcare, to take on corruption in Washington, and to be a voice for Minnesotans in Washington,” Obama said. “This one matters.”
This endorsement comes just days after the Cook Political Report shifted its rating in the race from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.” That is a shift in favor of Tafoya.
Absentee ballots have been distributed statewide, and early in-person voting is underway.
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Elyse Apel, a graduate of Hillsdale College, is a reporter for The Center Square covering Minnesota and Michigan. Her work has appeared in a range of national outlets, including the Washington Examiner, The American Spectator, and The Daily Wire.
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