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U.S. Senate · Minnesota

Statewide, Minnesota.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Peggy Flanagan, projected winner

CandidateVotesShare
Peggy Flanagan1,520,87153.7%
Michele Tafoya1,233,46743.6%
Marisa Simonetti41,5741.5%
Rebecca Whiting32,4931.1%
Total Write-ins3,3810.1%

About 99% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • This is an open seat: incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D) announced she would not seek re-election in 2026. In the August 11, 2026 Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig 58.9%-39.5%. In the Republican primary, Michele Tafoya, a former NBC/ESPN sportscaster, defeated Adam Schwarze, Royce White and six others with 51.8% of the vote.[1]

On the November 3 ballot · 4 candidates

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Protect legal access to abortion

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports passing the Women's Health Protection Act to restore Roe v. Wade-era protections nationwide, helped Minnesota pass a law protecting abortion access and providers after Roe was overturned, and supports repealing the Hyde Amendment.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Stricter gun laws

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and ghost guns.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Opposes[2]

    Supports dismantling ICE as currently structured, ending what she calls indiscriminate mass-deportation sweeps, and creating a pathway to legal status for long-settled undocumented residents, while also saying the border should be secure.

  • Michele Tafoya
    Supports[3]

    Says she will cosponsor a 'Deporting Fraudsters Act' to deport immigrants convicted of fraud, calls for deporting criminal illegal immigrants, and opposes efforts to abolish ICE.

  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Loosen zoning rules to build more housing

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports 'bold action to build more housing,' including the Homes Act, alongside banning corporate/hedge-fund purchases of single-family homes.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Raise taxes on high earners or corporations

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports expanding the Social Security payroll-tax income cap so wealthier earners contribute more, and says small businesses should not pay a higher effective tax rate than large corporations.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Expand public health coverage

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports Medicare for All and says healthcare is a human right; opposes cuts to Medicaid.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    In their own words[5]
    “The VA system is a failed system. Privatize the VA, allow the free market to give veterans the best access to care when they need it and when they need it quickly.”

    On her campaign website (undated)

  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Opposes the Trump administration's rollback of clean-energy investments and supports wind, solar and other clean-energy development, citing Minnesota's commitment to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Increase police funding and staffing

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports funding local police departments so they have resources to train officers and support community safety, alongside investment in re-entry and recidivism-reduction programs.

  • Michele Tafoya
    Supports[3]

    Says she will push for more funding, equipment and training for law enforcement and opposes efforts to remove legal protections police rely on.

  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Raise the minimum wage

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports a $17 federal minimum wage tied to inflation; co-chaired Minnesota's 2014 Raise the Wage campaign.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Universal, publicly funded child care

  • Peggy Flanagan
    Supports[2]

    Supports universal childcare, saying investment in high-quality programs helps kids and family budgets.

  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote

  • Peggy Flanagan
    —
  • Michele Tafoya
    Supports[3]

    Says she will fight for the SAVE Act, which requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.

  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad

  • Peggy Flanagan
    —
  • Michele Tafoya
    —
  • Rebecca Whiting
    In their own words[5]
    “They send out sons and daughters to fight and die in foreign countries without declaring war so the military industrial complex can turn a profit.”

    On her campaign website (undated; the page cites a $34 trillion national debt, so it may date from her 2024 campaign)

  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Bar transgender women and girls from women's and girls' school sports

  • Peggy Flanagan
    —
  • Michele Tafoya
    Supports[3]

    Her campaign site says she will work to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports and locker rooms.

  • Rebecca Whiting
    —
  • Marisa Simonetti
    —

Research notes & limits

Alycia Gruenhagen, who lost the Republican primary, is listed by Ballotpedia as an active write-in candidate in the general election but has essentially no public campaign presence; she is omitted here for lack of any documentable record. Edward Tambornino withdrew and is not included. Biographies of Whiting and Simonetti rely on Ballotpedia profiles and their Candidate Connection surveys because no independent news profiles or official bios were found.

Sources · 31

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
  2. 2.Priorities · Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota (campaign website) · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Issues · Michele Tafoya for U.S. Senate (campaign website) · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  4. 4.United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2026 (Marisa Simonetti Candidate Connection survey) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
  5. 5.Rebecca Whiting for U.S. Senate · Whiting for Senate campaign site Candidate's own words
  6. 6.Peggy Flanagan · Ballotpedia Reference
  7. 7.United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  8. 8.Flanagan wins DFL duel in Senate race, Tafoya claims GOP nod for open seat · MPR News · 2026-08-11 News report
  9. 9.Lt. Gov. Flanagan officially becomes Senate candidate · KEYC · 2025-02-20 News report
  10. 10.Meet Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan · Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota Candidate's own words
  11. 11.U.S. Senate 2026 Election Guide · KAXE · 2026-09-25 News report
  12. 12.Peggy Flanagan · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  13. 13.Minnesota U.S. Senate election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  14. 14.Michele Tafoya · Ballotpedia Reference
  15. 15.Meet Michele · Michele Tafoya for U.S. Senate Candidate's own words
  16. 16.U.S. Senate 2026 Election Guide · KAXE · 2026-09-25 News report
  17. 17.Broadcast veteran Michele Tafoya joins crowded Minnesota Senate primary · Inside Radio News report
  18. 18.Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya files to run for US Senate in Minnesota as Republican · Awful Announcing · 2026-01-20 News report
  19. 19.Who is Michele Tafoya, and what are her chances in Minnesota? · Deseret News · 2026-01-21 News report
  20. 20.Video: Michele Tafoya on her life in public view, rooted in family · MPR News · 2026-10-15 News report
  21. 21.Michele Tafoya · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  22. 22.U.S. Senate · Minnesota results 2026 · NBC News News report
  23. 23.Rebecca Whiting · Ballotpedia Reference
  24. 24.United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  25. 25.U.S. Senate 2026 Election Guide · KAXE · 2026-09-25 News report
  26. 26.U.S. Senate · Minnesota results 2026 · NBC News News report
  27. 27.Marisa Simonetti · Ballotpedia Reference
  28. 28.U.S. Senate 2026 Election Guide · KAXE · 2026-09-25 News report
  29. 29.U.S. Senate · Minnesota results 2026 · NBC News News report
  30. 30.Marisa Simonetti, charged in tarantula tossing case, found guilty · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul News report
  31. 31.Marisa Simonetti gets 90 days in tarantula tossing incident · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · 2026-06-30 News report