U.S. Senate, Minnesota · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race?
Michele Tafoya has the strongest record in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race. Michele Tafoya scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Peggy Flanagan at 58, as of October 5, 2026. Michele Tafoya's highest marks are roots in the constituency and command of the job. Peggy Flanagan's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Marisa Simonetti (4 of 15 criteria) and Rebecca Whiting (7 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
DFL
Peggy Flanagan
58 / 100
Public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 38
Independent
Marisa Simonetti
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 0
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Strongest record
Michele Tafoya
63 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Rebecca Whiting
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Peggy Flanagan
- Mark against2019 to 2025
The Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, which she chairs and state law requires to meet quarterly, met 14 times from 2019 through 2024; in 2025 she said it would meet more often.
Sources: KTTC, September 18, 2025, KSTP, 2025
- On the record2026
Asked in 2026 about fraud in state programs, she said she was part of conversations but did not lead that work; a U.S. House Oversight Committee investigation did not assign blame to her.
Sources: Minnesota Star Tribune, September 27, 2026, MinnPost, October 1, 2026
- On the record2021-07
In July 2021, as lieutenant governor, she publicly restated her opposition to the Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline while state approvals for the project were in effect.
- Credit2023 to 2024
Elected chair of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association in December 2023, the first Indigenous woman to lead a party committee, and named one of four chairs of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Sources: The 19th, December 2023, Minnesota Star Tribune, August 18, 2024
- Credit2020-02-12
Received the Native American Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians in Washington on February 12, 2020.
Source: KEYC News, February 12, 2020
- Credit2019
Took office as lieutenant governor in January 2019 and was described as the highest-ranking Native woman elected to an executive office; she was reelected in 2022.
- Credit2019
The 2019 Legislature approved, at the urging of Walz and Flanagan, a $100 a month increase in Minnesota Family Investment Program cash grants, the first increase in 33 years.
Marisa Simonetti
- Mark against2026-06-30
After a March 2026 jury verdict, a Hennepin County court on June 30, 2026 entered convictions for gross misdemeanor harassment and misdemeanor domestic assault and ordered 90 days in custody and two years probation.
Sources: Eden Prairie Local News, July 1, 2026, MPR News, July 2, 2026, FOX 9 report on AOL, March 13, 2026
Michele Tafoya
- Mark against2026-09
In a September 2026 radio interview she denied ever saying she was embarrassed to be from Minnesota; a March 2023 post of hers, since deleted, said she was embarrassed to say she lived there.
Sources: CNN, September 23, 2026, Minnesota Star Tribune, September 28, 2026
- Mark against2003
In October 2003 she poured beer on two fans seated below her box at a University of Minnesota football game at the Metrodome; she said she lost her composure and apologized publicly.
Sources: Minnesota Star Tribune, 2017, New York Post, October 17, 2003
- On the record2022 to 2024
In November 2022 she published an open letter urging Donald Trump not to run again; by August 2024 she said she had come to like Trump much more.
- On the record2022 to 2023
In 2022 and 2023 she said on her podcast and on social media that she lived part time in Florida, owned a house there and would eventually be a Florida resident.
Source: CNN, September 23, 2026
- Credit2011 to 2022
Won four Sports Emmy Awards as an NBC sideline reporter and, per NBC Sports, worked the most national primetime games of any NFL sideline reporter before her final broadcast in February 2022.
Sources: NBC Sports press release, January 11, 2022, Minnesota Star Tribune, August 2026
Rebecca Whiting
- Credit2023 to 2024
Elected vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota in April 2023 and has been its chair since 2024.
Sources: Minnesota Star Tribune, April 22, 2023, Ballotpedia
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Peggy Flanagan. Her federal campaign filings and Senate candidate financial disclosure are on file. No official finding naming her as respondent was found in the sources checked.
Source: Minnesota Reformer report, as published by the Marshall Independent, September 4, 2026
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. FEC candidate and committee filings and a Senate candidate financial disclosure are on file. No official ethics or campaign finance finding was found in the sources checked.
Sources: FEC candidate page, Minnesota Reformer report, as published by the Marshall Independent, September 4, 2026
Rebecca Whiting. An FEC statement of candidacy and two committee reports are on file, showing $1,257 raised through July 22, 2026. No official ethics or campaign finance finding was found in the sources checked.
Source: FEC candidate page
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Peggy Flanagan. As lieutenant governor in July 2021 she publicly restated her opposition to the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline after the administration she served in had granted its permits.
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Peggy Flanagan. Took part in the August 5 Farmfest forum and accepted debates hosted by MPR News on October 16 and by KBJR with FOX 9. She declined KSTP's October 2 debate. Held a St. Cloud town hall in March 2025.
Sources: KNOX Radio, September 10, 2026, KSTP, October 4, 2026, MPR News, August 6, 2026, St. Cloud LIVE, March 21, 2025
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. Took part in the August 5 Farmfest forum, accepted the October 16 MPR News debate and confirmed for KSTP's October 2 debate. She has not accepted a debate hosted by FOX 9 and partner stations in Duluth.
Sources: Pioneer Press report on Yahoo News, MPR News debate listing, KSTP, MPR News, August 6, 2026
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Peggy Flanagan. Served on the Minneapolis school board, in the Minnesota House from 2015 to 2019 and as lieutenant governor since 2019. No formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding was found in the sources checked.
Sources: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Ballotpedia
Marisa Simonetti. A Hennepin County jury found her guilty in March 2026. At sentencing on June 30, 2026, the court entered convictions for gross misdemeanor harassment and misdemeanor domestic assault and ordered 90 days in custody and two years of probation.
Sources: Eden Prairie Local News, July 1, 2026, CBS Minnesota, July 7, 2026, Ballotpedia
Michele Tafoya. Worked nearly three decades as a sports broadcaster for national networks. No formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding was found in the sources checked.
Sources: MPR News, August 12, 2026, KAXE Election Guide, candidate response
Rebecca Whiting. Served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2007 and has chaired the Libertarian Party of Minnesota since 2024. No formal conduct finding was found in the sources checked.
Source: Ballotpedia
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Peggy Flanagan. Took the oath as a state representative in 2015 and 2017 and has served as lieutenant governor since 2019. No official finding of misuse of office and no recorded action to reject certified election results was found.
Sources: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Minnesota House Session Daily, November 9, 2015
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. Served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2007. No official finding of misuse of office and no recorded action to reject certified election results was found.
Source: Ballotpedia
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Peggy Flanagan. Lieutenant governor since January 2019, state representative from 2015 to 2019, elected Minneapolis school board member from 2005 to 2009 and former executive director of Children's Defense Fund Minnesota.
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. Nearly three decades as a sports broadcaster for KFAN, CBS, ABC, ESPN and NBC, followed by hosting a political podcast. No prior public office.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, candidate response, MPR News, August 12, 2026
Rebecca Whiting. U.S. Army veteran, farmer and bakery owner in Bemidji, and chair of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota since 2024. No prior public office.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, candidate response, Ballotpedia
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Peggy Flanagan. Campaign priorities page sets out federal proposals by topic, including a ban on stock trading by federal elected officials. In the Minnesota House she served on the Health and Human Services Reform, State Government Finance and Rules committees.
Sources: Campaign priorities page, Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
Marisa Simonetti. Campaign site publishes issue positions in general terms on agriculture, education, housing and other topics.
Source: Campaign site
Michele Tafoya. Campaign issues page names specific federal bills she would cosponsor or support, including the Deporting Fraudsters Act and the SAVE Act, and proposes mandatory minimum sentences for fraud and conditions on federal funding to states.
Source: Campaign issues page
Rebecca Whiting. Campaign site and questionnaire answers state positions in general terms, including ending overseas wars and passing a national Defend the Guard bill.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, candidate response, Campaign site
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Peggy Flanagan. Answered the KAXE general election questionnaire, publishes a priorities page and took part in the Farmfest forum. She had not completed the Ballotpedia 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, Ballotpedia, MPR News, August 6, 2026
Marisa Simonetti. Completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and answered the KAXE general election questionnaire.
Sources: Ballotpedia, KAXE Election Guide
Michele Tafoya. Answered the KAXE primary election questionnaire, publishes an issues page and took part in the Farmfest forum. She had not completed the Ballotpedia 2026 Candidate Connection survey or updated her KAXE answers for the general election.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, Ballotpedia, MPR News, August 6, 2026
Rebecca Whiting. Answered the KAXE general election questionnaire and publishes positions on her campaign site. She completed the Ballotpedia survey in 2024 but had not completed the 2026 survey.
Sources: Ballotpedia, KAXE Election Guide
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Peggy Flanagan. Grew up in St. Louis Park, attended its public schools and lists it as her community. FEC by-state data attributes $1,460,749 of $3,392,084 in itemized individual contributions, 43.1 percent, to Minnesota.
Sources: MinnPost, October 1, 2026, Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, FEC contribution totals by state
Marisa Simonetti. Lists Plymouth, Minnesota as her community and holds a University of Minnesota degree. Born in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. No FEC contribution data is on file.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, Ballotpedia
Michele Tafoya. Lives in Edina. A 2018 profile said she had lived in the Twin Cities for nearly a quarter of a century. FEC by-state data attributes $1,510,000 of $2,674,591 in itemized individual contributions, 56.5 percent, to Minnesota.
Sources: Artful Living, 2018, FEC contribution totals by state, KAXE Election Guide, candidate response
Rebecca Whiting. Lists Bemidji as her community. Born in Picayune, Mississippi. FEC by-state data shows $1,000 in itemized individual contributions, all from Minnesota.
Sources: KAXE Election Guide, Ballotpedia, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Peggy Flanagan. Her Senate committee filed each 2025 and 2026 quarterly, year-end and pre-primary report on its due date. No FEC administrative fine was found in the FEC legal search.
Source: FEC electronic filings, Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. Her committee filed its April quarterly, July quarterly and pre-primary reports for 2026 on the due dates. No FEC administrative fine was found in the FEC legal search.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Peggy Flanagan. Chief House author of 26 bills in 2017 to 2018 and 9 in 2015 to 2016. One, amending police and firefighter civil service commission provisions, became law as chapter 97 in 2017.
Sources: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, 2017 to 2018 session, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, 2015 to 2016 session
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Peggy Flanagan. The Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, which she chairs, met 14 times from 2019 through 2024. State law requires quarterly meetings, at least 24 in that period, per KTTC and KSTP reviews of state records.
Sources: KTTC, September 18, 2025, KSTP, 2025
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Peggy Flanagan. No public record found.
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Peggy Flanagan. No public record found.
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Peggy Flanagan. No public record found.
Marisa Simonetti. No public record found.
Michele Tafoya. No public record found.
Rebecca Whiting. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 5, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race?
Michele Tafoya has the strongest record in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race. Michele Tafoya scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Peggy Flanagan at 58, as of October 5, 2026. Michele Tafoya's highest marks are roots in the constituency and command of the job. Peggy Flanagan's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Marisa Simonetti (4 of 15 criteria) and Rebecca Whiting (7 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race in 2026?
Peggy Flanagan (DFL), Marisa Simonetti (Independent), Michele Tafoya (Republican), Rebecca Whiting (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Peggy Flanagan a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Peggy Flanagan scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 12 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Marisa Simonetti a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Marisa Simonetti has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Michele Tafoya a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Michele Tafoya scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Rebecca Whiting a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Rebecca Whiting has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Minnesota race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Minnesota 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.