A newly-released poll shows Republican Michele Tafoya is tied with DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a potential general election for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. However, that tie comes only after language tying Flanagan to Minnesota’s fraud saga was invoked.
The poll, conducted by Impact Research, is reportedly an internal poll from DFL Rep. Angie Craig’s campaign for U.S. Senate. Craig is running against Flanagan in what has become a heated primary to win the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate.
In short, the poll appears to be an effort by the Craig campaign to convince DFL primary voters that Flanagan is vulnerable to negative, general-election messaging on fraud.
According to an Impact Research memo, the poll was conducted in late May and surveyed 808 likely Minnesota general election voters. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5%.
“Polling among likely voters in Minnesota shows both Congresswoman Angie Craig and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan with strong leads in a hypothetical matchup against Republican Michele Tafoya,” the memo says.
“However, fraud is the top concern among general election voters and one negative message linking Flanagan to it evaporates her lead over Tafoya, putting Minnesota’s Senate seat at risk,” writes Impact Research.
According to the memo, Flanagan has a a 7-point lead over Tafoya which disappears when respondents were read a statement that tied Flanagan to fraud in Minnesota.
Among other things, the statement said Flanagan ignored “whistleblowers and audits that uncovered massive fraud,” turned “a blind eye while fraudsters stole” billions, and “failed to properly investigate it or hold anyone accountable.”
After that language was read to poll respondents, Flanagan’s 7-point lead over Tafoya turned into a toss-up with Flanagan at 47%, Tafoya at 47%, and 6% undecided.
The polling memo noted that “fraud messaging is a particularly large liability among independents, who shift from supporting Flanagan by 7 points to supporting Tafoya by 3.”
For years, criticism of fraud in Minnesota state government has been primarily directed at Gov. Tim Walz. The language tying Flanagan to the fraud closely mirrors criticism that is often leveled at the Walz Administration.
Reacting to the new poll, Tafoya said, “Since getting in this race in January, the number one concern I hear from voters is fraud — and it’s not even close. We were fleeced by fraudsters and the politicians who enabled it, and we are fed up.”
She continued, saying, “Billions were stolen, and hardworking families are paying the price while career politicians like Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig look the other way. Enough is enough. I’m running to clean house, end the fraud, and put Minnesota taxpayers first.”
In a lengthy statement to Alpha News, a Flanagan spokesperson said “Republicans are already attacking Democrats on [fraud] – including Congresswoman Craig. They should start by answering for the fraud and corruption happening in the White House.”
Flanagan’s spokesperson said President Donald Trump has fired officials who police fraud, pardoned fraudsters, and uses “his office to enrich himself.” Additionally, the spokesperson criticized “a political system where powerful special interests spend millions of dollars buying influence.”
“Congresswoman Craig and Republicans all take money from corporate interests that are driving up costs for Minnesotans,” Flanagan’s spokesperson said. “People are hungry for leaders willing to challenge that status quo in Washington, and Peggy Flanagan is that leader.”
Alpha News reached out to the Craig campaign for this story. However, the campaign did not provide any statements prior to publication.
While Craig and Flanagan are running against each other in their own primary, Tafoya is running in the GOP primary against Adam Schwarze and Royce White. Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL, won the Republican endorsement for U.S. Senate last weekend.
The Republican and DFL nominees for U.S. Senate will ultimately be decided by voters in Minnesota’s August primary election.
In the three-way race between Schwarze, Tafoya, and White, Tafoya has raised the most money of her Republican competitors and has even out-raised Flanagan.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
