A Short Dive into Minnesota’s US Senate Primary
A state record 15 candidates competed in the U.S. Senate primaries last week
Former sports broadcaster and political commentator Michele Tafoya (pictured) and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan are Minnesota’s newly minted Republican and DFL U.S. Senate nominees respectively for a November race the GOP expects to be competitive and the DFL hopes will result in an all-time party record.
The retirement of DFL U.S. Senator Tina Smith brought out candidates in droves for this open seat race – with a state record 15 major party hopefuls on the ballot for the office in last week’s Democratic and Republican primaries.
Tafoya received 52.1 percent in a party-record tying nine-candidate GOP field – matching the nine Republicans who ran in 1923’s special election(opens in new tab) won by Governor J.A.O. Preus to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Republican U.S. Senator Knute Nelson.
Add in the six DFLers on the ballot last Tuesday and the 15 candidates eclipsed the state record last cycle when 13 hopefuls (eight Republicans and five Democrats) ran in 2024. [Including Farmer-Laborites, 14 candidates ran in U.S. Senate primaries in 1923’s special and in 1940].
In the DFL primary, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan received 59.0 percent – 19.6 points ahead of Rep. Angie Craig. Despite losing by nearly 20 points, Craig’s 39.4 percent ranks as the fourth largest percentage of the vote received by a runner-up in a Republican or DFL (or Democratic) U.S. Senate primary out of the 75 contested primaries held for the office since 1912.
Craig trails only:
- 1912 Republican primary(opens in new tab): Former Hennepin County Attorney and State Representative James Peterson(opens in new tab) received 41.9 percent in a two-candidate race
- 1934 Republican primary(opens in new tab): Former Marshall Mayor and State Representative Tom Davis(opens in new tab) won 45.3 percent in a two-candidate race
- 1978 DFL special primary(opens in new tab): U.S. Representative Don Fraser(opens in new tab) received 47.4 percent in a four-candidate field
Tafoya is just the second woman to win a Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Minnesota, following Karin Housley(opens in new tab) in 2018’s special primary election(opens in new tab).
With Flanagan’s victory, the DFL extended its party record fifth consecutive nomination to a woman following Tina Smith (2018 special), Amy Klobuchar (2018), Smith (2020), and Klobuchar (2024).
Democrats also nominated Anna Olesen(opens in new tab) in 1922(opens in new tab), Joan Anderson Growe in 1984(opens in new tab), Ann Wynia(opens in new tab) in 1994(opens in new tab), and Klobuchar in 2006(opens in new tab) and 2012(opens in new tab).
The DFL has won eight consecutive U.S. Senate elections in Minnesota – tied with a streak notched from 1954 through 1976 behind Hubert Humphrey (1954, 1960, 1970, 1976), Eugene McCarthy (1958, 1964), and Walter Mondale (1966, 1972).
It is the ninth largest active Democratic winning streak for the office behind Hawaii (20), New Jersey (18), California (15), Maryland (15), New York (12), Delaware (11), Michigan (10), and Washington (10).
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Her most recent stint as a sports journalist was in February 2022, thus she had retired from that business for some time, though arguably not that long ago (retired/former broadcaster). Interestingly, Ashley Elizabeth Hinson, the R nominee for US Senate from IA, also has a background as a broadcast journalist (wonder if they will conduct joint fundraisers, as the D Senate candidates in MO and ND had done in 2012).
“…eight consecutive…1954 through 1976…” The previous streak might have been an even longer one, had ‘Boy Wonder Governor’ Anderson not arranged his own appointment to the Senate in late 1976 (trivia: the most recent time any governor in any state had been “self-appointed”). Unlike, say, in 1994, there had been no strong nationwide headwind against the Democratic administration that year, as proven by the party’s gains in MA, MI, NE, NJ, and OK.
True, Representative Craig did garner the 4th-highest vote share in a Senate primary election held by the Republican, Democratic, or DFL party. However, in light of her lopsided (surprisingly weak?) loss, Craig can not realistically be expected to be appointed to the Class 1 US Senate seat should Senator Klobuchar win the concurrent gubernatorial election.
“1934…45.3% in a *tw0*-candidate race” Butterfingers?! (~ happens to all of us, Dr. Eric ~)
Megan Degenfelder is the 5th Trump back candidate to lose the rep primary for gov after IA, GA, SC (although he did a duo backing just before the runoff) and MN. Chuck Gray meanwhile will be the 1st male candidate in WY at-large since 1995.