Flanagan touts bipartisan record but offers no example of working with Trump
Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan highlighted her history of bipartisan work on Sunday, but when asked to name an issue she might work on with President Donald Trump, she did not offer one. Instead, she criticized what she called ongoing corruption in his administration.
Flanagan, the state’s lieutenant governor and Democratic nominee, is running against Republican Michele Tafoya. Republicans see the race as a chance to win in a state that has traditionally leaned Democratic. Flanagan has portrayed Tafoya as a reliable Trump supporter and has promised to oppose much of the president’s agenda.
Asked by interviewer Bill Melugin whether there were any policies on which she could work with Trump, Flanagan said she had a long record of working with people across party lines. She pointed to her time at the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota and in the state Legislature, where Republicans held the majority and she helped advance bipartisan measures.
She said that experience showed she was capable of working with members of the other party.
Flanagan focuses campaign on opposing Trump’s agenda
Her emphasis on bipartisanship comes amid a campaign centered largely on resisting Trump’s policies. Flanagan has called for dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement, creating Medicare for All and reversing Medicaid and SNAP cuts. She has also accused Trump of using the presidency for personal financial gain.
Flanagan told Melugin she was particularly troubled by what she described as the administration’s continued efforts to profit from the presidency.
On the campaign trail, she said, voters have told her they want a senator who will act as a check on Trump rather than support him. She said she would focus on rolling back cuts and other effects she considers harmful to Minnesota.
Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, has made a major fraud scandal that emerged during Gov. Tim Walz’s administration a central issue in the race. Tafoya argues that Flanagan, who served as Walz’s lieutenant governor, shares responsibility. She has also criticized Flanagan’s support for progressive proposals, including Medicare for All and dismantling ICE.
The contest has grown more competitive as Tafoya has gained ground. Its rating has shifted from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.” Tafoya said voters were learning more about her and her opponent’s record alongside Walz, and that Minnesota needed new leadership and ideas.
Flanagan has repeatedly linked Tafoya to Trump, whose approval ratings in Minnesota are low. In a social media post last month, Flanagan said Tafoya was firmly behind the president and that he supported her in return.
Tafoya, meanwhile, has sought to distinguish herself from Trump, including by emphasizing her support for abortion rights. In a campaign ad, she describes herself as a Republican who supports abortion rights and says she will work with Trump when she agrees with him, but stand up to him when she does not.
The ad drew criticism from some Republicans, including Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Trump later endorsed Tafoya at a rally in Ohio, calling her a respected person and urging voters to support her.
