Michele Tafoya Wins Minnesota Republican Senate Primary as Democrats Prepare for Open Seat

Minnesota voters went to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to choose party nominees for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Tina Smith, who is not seeking re-election. Six Democrats and nine Republicans appeared on the ballot.

In the Republican contest, former NBC Sports reporter Michele Tafoya emerged as the nominee, receiving 51.9% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. She defeated Adam Schwarze, Royce Lewis and two other candidates. Tafoya, who has raised more than $2.6 million for her campaign, was endorsed by former NFL coach Tony Dungy and aligns her platform with President Donald Trump’s policies, emphasizing government accountability, fraud prevention, inflation, crime and border security.

The Democratic primary includes U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who flipped her House district from Republican control in 2018, and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who has served in state government since 2018. Craig’s campaign highlights protecting Social Security, lowering health-care and housing costs, and advancing voting, reproductive, environmental and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as immigration reform. Flanagan, endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, focuses on election integrity, Medicare for All, and raising the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour.

Results began reporting after polls closed at 8 p.m., with live updates available throughout the evening.