(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump has endorsed Republican and former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race.
“You have to vote for Michele Tafoya, who is a very respected person,” Trump said during a rally in Ohio on Monday. “It’s hard to win because they cheat in their elections. I thought I won Minnesota three times.”
This endorsement comes just three weeks until Election Day.
Tafoya, who is running against Democrat Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, has since downplayed the endorsement, saying she “heard about that.”
“This campaign is about bringing all Minnesotans together whether they voted for President Trump or whether they voted for Kamala Harris,” Tafoya added.
That hasn’t stopped Flanagan’s campaign from using the endorsement to criticize Tafoya, saying she is “lockstep with Trump’s MAGA agenda.”
“Donald Trump wants you to vote for Michele Tafoya,” Flanagan said. “I'm asking you to vote for the future Minnesotans deserve—one without Trump's chaos and cruelty. That's the choice in this race.”
Tafoya and Flanagan are neck and neck in the most-recent polling of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race.
Flanagan currently leads Tafoya 44.8% to 43.3%, according to the average of the four most-recent polls compiled by 270toWin. That is well within the margin of error.
According to the Cook Political Report, the Minnesota U.S. Senate race is predicted to be likely Democrat. It is expected to be one of the bellwether races set to determine the balance of congressional power.
Of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, 33 are up for regular election in 2026, along with two special elections. Democrats currently hold 13 of the seats on the ballot, while Republicans hold 22. That means this election cycle will determine which party controls the 120th Congress.
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.
“Minnesotans are rejecting Peggy Flanagan’s record of failure,” she said. “Gang violence. Rampant fraud. Declining test scores. All on her watch as lieutenant governor. It’s time for an outsider.”
Flanagan, who has served alongside Gov. Tim Walz since 2018, is running amid ongoing concerns over fraud in the state.
“Peggy Flanagan stood beside Tim Walz for eight years while Minnesota suffered billions in taxpayer dollars lost to fraud, a free-fall in academic performance, and rising crime,” Tafoya said. “Now she wants a promotion to the U.S. Senate. Eight years of failure doesn’t deserve a promotion.”
Flanagan has called out Tafoya for supporting President Donald Trump, calling her a “yes vote” for him if elected.
“We have a choice, Minnesota,” Flanagan said. “Do you want a Senator who will work for you to lower costs, end the illegal war in Iran, and hold ICE accountable? Or do you want another Senator for Trump?”
Election Day is 18 days away, but absentee ballots have already been distributed statewide, and early voting begins today.
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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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