Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya held a press conference on Tuesday and criticized Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s record on public safety as she unveiled a five-point plan aimed at gang violence in Minnesota.
Tafoya appeared alongside members of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA), which has endorsed her campaign over Flanagan.
“We have had more conversations with Michele Tafoya, a civilian, about public safety than we ever have with the lieutenant governor,” MPPOA Executive Director Dave Titus said.
Titus said the organization endorses candidates who are public safety-minded and support its mission, and said Minnesota needs a U.S. senator who will prioritize assisting local and state law enforcement.
Tafoya used much of the press conference to target Flanagan over crime and recent Somali gang violence.
“Now, the entire country knows that under Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota has a crime crisis as well, particularly Somali gang violence,” Tafoya said.
She referenced recent gunfire near a high school homecoming game and a federal case involving a man accused of plotting an attack at the Mall of America in support of ISIS.
“Peggy Flanagan has been lieutenant Governor for eight years, and she has failed us,” Tafoya said. “She has said nothing of substance. She has no solutions.”
“Peggy Flanagan has been MIA for the last eight days. She has been MIA for the last eight years,” she continued. “She has not earned a promotion to the U.S. Senate. She has earned a pink slip.”
Tafoya said she was not seeking to blame Minnesota’s entire Somali community and said President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the issue last week “was not appropriate.”
“But Minnesota, we do not have to choose between, on the one hand, scapegoating people and in the other, ignoring this problem,” Tafoya said. “Those are not our only options. We deserve new leaders with new ideas and solutions.”
Tafoya then outlined five priorities she said she would pursue during her first eight weeks in the Senate.
Her plan calls for naming Somali gang violence as a problem, establishing an FBI cyber threat assessment hub in Minneapolis, pushing for greater accountability from social media companies when their platforms are used for gang violence, pursuing federal prosecutions of repeat gang offenders, and increasing cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement.
“A politician who cannot even say the phrase ‘Somali gang violence’ will never fix this problem,” Tafoya said while outlining the first point of her plan.
Tafoya said she agreed with Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputy Jama Shine, who she noted is Somali.
“‘We have to be honest, we do have a Somali gang problem,’” Tafoya said, quoting the deputy. “Once we name it, we can fix it.”
On prosecutions, Tafoya criticized Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and said she would work with the U.S. attorney to ensure repeat gang offenders are prosecuted in federal court using RICO or federal gun laws.
Tafoya also proposed directing grants through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services program toward a metro gang task force and expanding the U.S. Marshals Service’s North Star task force with a specific focus on gang offenders.
“I’m honored that the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association has endorsed me and not my opponent,” Tafoya said.
“These are five things I will do in my first eight weeks as our senator,” she added. “It will be more than Peggy Flanagan has done in eight years as second in command of our state.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
