A Democratic Senate candidate in Minnesota touted her bipartisan record Sunday but could not name a single issue she would work with President Donald Trump on, instead accusing his administration of “continued grift.”
The exchange came as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s Democratic Senate nominee, campaigns against Republican Michele Tafoya in a race Republicans see as a rare opportunity to flip a traditionally blue state. Flanagan’s answer underscored the sharply partisan nature of the Minnesota race, where she has cast Tafoya as a rubber stamp for Trump and pledged to oppose the administration at nearly every turn.
“I just want to be really clear that I’ve got a long track record of working with folks on the other side of the aisle,” Flanagan told Fox News’ Bill Melugin when asked if there were any policies she could see herself working with Trump on. Flanagan pointed to her work at the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota and her time in the Minnesota Legislature, where she served alongside a Republican majority and helped pass bipartisan legislation, as evidence of her ability to work across the aisle.
“I think that, you know, that proves that I have the ability to work with folks,” she continued.
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Flanagan’s bipartisan pitch comes against the backdrop of a campaign built around opposing Trump’s agenda. She has called for dismantling ICE, passing Medicare for All, and reversing the administration’s Medicaid and SNAP cuts, while accusing Trump of using the presidency to enrich himself.
“Right now, I’m deeply concerned about the Trump administration, the continued grift, making money hand over fist directly from the Oval Office,” she continued in her response to Melugin on whether she would work with Trump on anything.
The Democratic Senate candidate went on to tell Melugin that what she has been “hearing” on the campaign trail is that voters want someone who will be a “check” on Trump, not his ally.
“They’re interested in whether people are going to be a check on this guy, and roll back some of the devastating cuts and impacts on Minnesota,” Flanagan concluded in her answer about working with Trump. “That’s the place I’m going to start.”
Flanagan is facing Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter who has turned the race into a referendum on the massive fraud scandal that unfolded under the Walz administration. Tafoya has argued that Flanagan, who served as Walz’s No. 2 as lieutenant governor, should share responsibility for the scandal, while also tying her opponent to progressive positions, including Medicare for All and dismantling ICE.
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The race has become unexpectedly competitive after Tafoya narrowed the gap in Minnesota, prompting Fox News to shift its rating from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.”
“The more that Minnesotans learn about me and my opponent and see what my opponent has failed to do over the last eight years alongside [Democratic Gov.] Tim Walz, they’re understanding Minnesota needs change. We need fresh ideas, we need an independent thinker and they’re jumping on board,” Tafoya said in a Fox News Digital interview.
Flanagan has repeatedly tied Tafoya to Trump, whose approval ratings are well underwater in Minnesota.
“Michele Tafoya is all in for Donald Trump — and he’s all in for her,” Flanagan said last month in a social media post.
But Tafoya appears to be putting some daylight between herself and Trump, as she highlights her support for abortion rights.
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“I’m a pro-choice Republican not afraid to stand up to my party,” Tafoya says in a new campaign commercial. “When Trump is right, I will work with him. When he is wrong, I will stand up for Minnesota.”
While the ad drew opposition from some Republicans, including Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump subsequently signaled support for Tafoya at an Ohio rally he headlined.
“You have to vote for Michele Tafoya, who’s a very respected person,” the president said.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
