Minnesotans may well choose woke fraudsters again over competent governance. They cannot pretend they didn't have better options, however.
During the Tim Walz administration, Minnesotans watched the biggest cities burn, violence explode, and massive fraud drain state and federal coffers with assistance from Democrats in statewide office. Attorney General Keith Ellison literally covered for the Somali fraudsters and got caught on tape promising to protect them. Ellison's likely to lose his reelection bid to Ron Schutz, who would become the first GOP candidate to win a statewide election in Minnesota for the past 20 years.
Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan decided to run for the Senate rather than move up after Walz announced his retirement under pressure. Flanagan, who did even more to give political cover to Somali fraudsters, claimed in a debate this week that she would get tough on Donald Trump and protect federal programs. Her Republican challenger, Michele Tafoya, absolutely tore her apart in roughly 60 seconds (via Twitchy):
🚨 MUST WATCH: Peggy Flanagan had to be asked TWICE if she takes any responsibility over the fraud—and refused to do so. Michele Tafoya absolutely destroys her response. https://t.co/o4eBJe3Gb0
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 16, 2026
Five stars, no notes. There's literally nothing to add to that response, at least directly. Not only did Tafoya cover it all, but it also appears she did so extemporaneously, referring to notes taken during Flanagan's response. The sheer chutzpah of taking credit for Walz' policies in other areas while ducking responsibility for the fraud and other failures clearly outraged Tafoya and inspired one of the finest debate beatdowns in this cycle.
Will it outrage Minnesota voters? It should. The same electorate gave Walz another term in office after watching Minneapolis burn, though. I remain skeptical.
However, Tafoya's presence at least gives those same voters a rational and credible choice in this election. Flanagan is a radical crank; Tafoya is a successful woman in business and the media who understands the issues and promises a change from the miserable and corrupt status quo of Minnesota. Tafoya is not a clown or novelty act, which parties sometimes choose for low-odds races at all levels. Tafoya's performance in this cycle reminds everyone why candidate recruitment matters not just to the one race but the whole ballot, and why serious people should consider running for those offices even when it looks impossible to win. Running a credible and serious campaign with integrity is a public service regardless of the end result – and sometimes opportunities arise that allow voters to seriously consider a change. If the opposition party nominates a clown or crank, it steals that opportunity from the voters.
Tafoya has exceeded expectations on those points. She has demonstrated her readiness to lead and offers Minnesota voters a chance for both redemption and accountability for a party that has entirely corrupted state politics for the last two decades. Whether they choose it reflects entirely on the electorate in this cycle.