U.S. Senate · Minnesota

Incumbent: Tina Smith (DFL) · Incumbent retiring
General election Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026

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The candidates

Peggy Flanagan

DFL

Lieutenant governor of Minnesota (2019–present).

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: thehill.com

Michele Tafoya

Republican

Reporter and retired sports broadcaster.

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: nytimes.com

Marisa Simonetti

Independent

Business owner.

Background via Wikipedia race page · its cited source: eplocalnews.org

Rebecca Whiting

Libertarian

Rebecca Whiting was born in Picayune, Mississippi. She served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2007.

Background via Ballotpedia (first sentence of its biography)

Candidates checked against the official list: state election office source. Candidate list compiled from the Wikipedia race page and the sources on each profile. Check your official sample ballot before voting.

Where they stand: Flanagan vs. Tafoya

Topic rows are grouped by Vote Book; the headings and quoted words are each candidate’s own, with the source under each one. “As reported” means a news outlet’s description, not an exact quote. A yellow tag means no public position was found on that topic.

Immigration & border
Flanagan

Federal Immigration officers are not above the law.

Peggy is calling for an end to the aggressive sweeps against immigrants who pose no danger to our communities
Original: peggyflanagan.com/priorities (accessed Oct 16, 2026)
TafoyaNo public position found
Health care
Flanagan

Priorities

I grew up thinking that the bottom could fall out at any moment. My single mom and I relied on food stamps to keep food on the table. Medicaid was my healthcare as a child. Now, as Lt. Governor of Minnesota, I’m living proof that leaders can improve people’s lives when they invest in them.
Original: peggyflanagan.com/priorities (accessed Oct 16, 2026)
TafoyaNo public position found
Education
Flanagan

What, if anything, should our country do to ensure a secure social safety net for all, including access to food, housing, education and medical care? (500 characters)

I was raised by a single mom and always felt like the bottom could fall out. We relied on Section 8 housing, SNAP, childcare assistance, and Medicaid. I’m here because of these programs and am a testament to how government can work for people. That’s why I’ll fight to pass Medicare for All, raise the federal minimum wage, pass universal childcare, invest in affordable housing, give farmers the right to repair their own equipment, and fight to pass the Social Security Expansion Act.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
TafoyaNo public position found
Energy & environment
Flanagan

What, if any, actions would you take to address threats facing the United States due to climate change? (500 characters)

We need to take big actions to fight climate change, protect our planet, and invest in climate adaptation. I would restore Trump’s rollback of investments in clean energy and strongly support growth of our wind and solar energy sectors. We need to develop new technologies like biofuels including Sustainable Aviation Fuels, and green steel and green ammonia from green hydrogen. And we need to hold people and companies accountable when they refuse to comply with environmental standards.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
TafoyaNo public position found
Crime & public safety
FlanaganNo public position foundTafoya

Stop treating fraud as a second-class crime.

As our Senator, Michele will fight for tough new mandatory minimum sentences that put fraudsters in federal prison and keep them there
Original: micheletafoya.com/issues (accessed Oct 16, 2026)

Law and Order

Minnesota was ground zero for the “Defund the Police” movement. The far left decided that empathy and endless chances for violent offenders were more important than standing with victims, law enforcement and law-abiding citizens. That same ideology still controls our criminal justice system.
Original: micheletafoya.com/issues (accessed Oct 16, 2026)

1 more on profile →

Taxes & spending
FlanaganNo public position foundTafoya

Cut Costs and Taxes for the Middle Class

The career politicians and D.C. bureaucrats have one mission: Take away more of our money and freedom and seize more power for themselves. But no nation can tax, borrow and print its way to prosperity. The far left’s tax hikes and runaway spending got us painful inflation that is still squeezing Minnesotans to this …
Original: micheletafoya.com/issues (accessed Oct 16, 2026)
Jobs, wages & cost of living
Flanagan

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

My top priority is helping Minnesotans afford the lives they want to live. We’ve got to make Congress work for Minnesotans instead of corporations, billionaires, and special interests. That starts with banning corporate PAC money, overturning Citizens United, and establishing ethical standards for electeds so they represent their constituents. Second, I’ll fight for Medicare for All. Until we get there, I’ll fight to lower the cost of all prescription drugs, end prior authorization, and restore Medicaid cuts. Third, I’ll focus on affordability by raising the federal minimum wage, establishing universal childcare, investing in affordable housing, banning Wall Street from buying up homes, and fighting for the Social Security Expansion Act.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

What will you do to support a vibrant economy across the United States, and to address inflation? (500 characters)

In America one good job should be enough. There are policies that I will fight for so that our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top: from raising the minimum wage to a national paid family leave policy, to government issued loans for small businesses and ensuring entrepreneurs aren’t paying more in taxes than giant corporations, to expanding the Child Tax Credit. All of these actions will put more money back in people’s pockets and ultimately strengthen our economy for all.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411
Tafoya

Make state leaders do their job.

As our Senator, Michele will push to strip federal funding from any state that refuses to implement anti-fraud controls or follow basic audit and recovery practices
Original: micheletafoya.com/issues (accessed Oct 16, 2026)
Elections, ethics & government
Flanagan

What measures do you support to improve and secure elections, and to ensure voting access in our country? (500 characters)

The reality is that in Minnesota and across the country voter fraud is incredibly rare. What is at stake is people’s ability to participate in our election process which the Trump administration is actively trying to do. Minnesota has led the way in election protection and ensuring eligible voters can make their voices heard. I am proud of what our state has accomplished and believe we should replicate it on a national level with early voting and same day registration.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

How do you view your responsibilities as a congressperson and what will you do to fulfill them? (500 characters)

My job is to represent the voices of Minnesotans in Washington. I’m the only candidate in this race who made the choice not to take corporate PAC money because I refuse to be beholden to anyone but Minnesotans. Special interests have enough representation in the Senate, I will work only for the people. To represent folks, you have to show up and meet people where they are – you’ve got to listen. I’ve held over 270 events since launching this campaign and that’s exactly how I’ll keep showing up.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

1 more on profile →

TafoyaNo public position found
Other priorities
FlanaganNo public position foundTafoya

Stop The Fraud

The status quo politicians let criminals steal billions of dollars of Minnesota taxpayers’ hard-earned money. They let fraudsters rob us blind rather than ask basic questions that might have seemed politically incorrect. We need to clean up our state and lead the way toward a nationwide anti-fraud agenda.
Original: micheletafoya.com/issues (accessed Oct 16, 2026)

Other candidates on the ballot

Marisa Simonetti (Independent)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

My top three priorities are dismantling administrative overreach, enforcing absolute institutional transparency, and protecting individual sovereignty. First, we must restrict federal power to the strict text of the Constitution. Second, we must stop a weaponized system that uses unlimited public resources to wear regular people down into submission while hiding evidence and denying due process. Third, we must restore systemic fairness by holding corrupt state actors personally accountable. When a system becomes an engine of exhaustion rather than justice, true public servants do not accommodate it—they systematically tear down its unauthorized leverage and restore baseline fairness for every citizen.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

What will you do to support a vibrant economy across the United States, and to address inflation? (500 characters)

To support a vibrant economy, we must address how the system itself is structurally designed to keep everyday people distracted and overworked, preventing them from challenging institutional overreach. Inflation is a direct tax on human time and energy. True fairness means halting reckless spending, dismantling predatory compliance traps that drain small businesses, and ensuring an open marketplace where individuals can build wealth without being crushed by bureaucratic exhaustion.
Candidate's own answer to the League of Women Voters, via VOTE411

5 more positions on profile →

Rebecca Whiting (Libertarian)

No public position found

Know something we’re missing? Tell us: hello@getvotebook.com Inbox pending setup — messages may not be read yet. Please include a link to the source (official site, questionnaire, debate or news report). We add positions only with a source and treat every candidate the same way.

Official voting records

The same nine Senate votes (or three House votes) are shown for every current member of Congress running, so records can be compared across races. Click a roll call for the official tally.

No congressional voting record for: Peggy Flanagan, Marisa Simonetti, Michele Tafoya, Rebecca Whiting. State legislative or local records are not yet compiled.