Michele Tafoya Wins Minnesota Republican Senate Primary, Set to Face Peggy Flanagan

Michele Tafoya won the Minnesota Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, becoming the party’s nominee to run against Democratic Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan in the November election. Tafoya, who campaigned on opposing what she described as "socialist" policies, said she will work to bring "common sense" to state politics and appeal to voters across the political spectrum.

"We do not want to see a socialist lurch anywhere in this country, and in particular in Minnesota, so I will do whatever I can to stand up against this movement toward Democrat socialism," Tafoya told Fox News Digital after voting in a Minneapolis suburb.

She added that her campaign aims to address issues such as school quality, election integrity, and crime rates, and promised to hire "outsiders" to implement new ideas.

"It is time to hold them accountable, and we're going to do that by firing them," she said, referring to current officeholders.

Tafoya said she intends to reach out to disaffected Democrats and independents, emphasizing that the primary campaign focused on Republican voters while the general election will broaden her outreach.

"Now I'm excited to reach out to those disaffected Democrats who feel that the party has left them, who feel like they're homeless politically," she said.

If elected, Tafoya would be the first Republican to win a statewide office in Minnesota since 2006.