Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya appeared at a campaign event with Senate Majority Leader John Thune in Le Sueur, Minn., on Oct. 5, 2026. Polls show Tafoya is in a dead heat with Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, despite national political headwinds forcing Republicans to spend heavily in traditionally red strongholds such as Iowa, Alaska, and Kansas.
At a campaign stop with farmers on Monday in Le Sueur, Thune, R-S.D., boasted that Tafoya is a strong candidate with a convincing message to give Republicans hope for winning in a state they’ve mostly surrendered. However, he was noncommittal on deploying some of Senate Republicans’ vast war chest to boost Tafoya’s campaign before the Nov. 3 election.
Fox News reported in August that the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Thune, and allied groups had raised more than $500 million for the midterms thus far. Thune said, “We’ve got a big map this year. It’s a very competitive environment. But Minnesota is unique in a lot of ways.”
Tafoya has a strong pitch that she can be the first Republican to win a Senate seat in Minnesota in nearly 25 years. She has high name recognition from her successful career as a sports reporter on virtually every major television network. She isn’t bogged down with any major personal scandals besides frequently bashing Minnesota and threatening to decamp to Florida. Her opponent is an easy target to hammer on the fleecing of the state’s generous safety-net programs, which unfolded during her two terms as No. 2 in state government.
Tafoya said, “I think we can make a very strong case out of all these Senate races … This is one worth investing in. We’re going to talk. We haven’t had that conversation yet.”
Money isn’t everything, as Flanagan showed when she trounced U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in the Democratic primary despite being far outspent. Monday’s stop at the Pfarr family’s farm – 4,000 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, peas, and hogs about an hour southwest of Minneapolis – was Tafoya’s first open press event since the August primary.
After a private roundtable with farmers organized by the Minnesota Farm Bureau, Thune and Tafoya briefly addressed the press to promote Republicans’ work on a farm bill and reaffirm their commitment to legalizing year-round E15 fuel, which would be a boon for corn growers whose crops become ethanol.
Farmer Matthew Pfarr, whose family hosted Tafoya, approached the current state of affairs with equanimity. He said farmers face ups and downs no matter which party controls the government. “So, farmers have gotten quite good at weathering those,” Pfarr said. Asked whether he was backing Tafoya, Pfarr demurred. “We will host anyone who wants to come to the farm,” Pfarr said. “I prefer not to discuss my politics, personally.”
