A Debate Focused on Responsibility
Friday’s Minnesota Senate debate quickly moved from a standard campaign clash to a test of accountability. DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya faced each other in St. Paul for their only scheduled debate, with Flanagan holding a surprisingly small lead in the polls. According to KARE 11 News, the candidates sparred over immigration, the war in Iran, health care, abortion, and the Supreme Court. But the sharpest exchange came when the moderator asked Flanagan twice whether she accepted any responsibility for the massive fraud scandal that unfolded during the administration’s two terms. A top prosecutor has put the amount involved at $9 billion.
Flanagan Points to Walz
Flanagan’s answer was to point upward. She said Gov. Tim Walz had made clear that “the buck stops with him” and that he had oversight. She then highlighted policies she said she had led, including paid family and medical leave, a child tax credit she described as nationally leading, and making sure children got breakfast and lunch at school. When the question turned to responsibility for fraud, Flanagan emphasized Walz’s role and shifted to a list of administration accomplishments. That answer opened the door for Tafoya’s response.
Tafoya Rejects the Defense
Tafoya pushed back against the repeated focus on Donald Trump, reminding Flanagan that Trump was not on the ballot. “You and I are on the ballot,” Tafoya said, arguing that only one of them had let $9 billion walk out the door because of fraud. She also pointed to Flanagan’s position as second in command of Minnesota. Tafoya noted Flanagan’s earlier insistence on calling it the “Walz-Flanagan Administration” and her demand to be “in the room where everything happens.” Tafoya’s point was direct: Flanagan could not claim a central role when discussing the administration’s accomplishments and then disclaim responsibility when the subject was fraud. “Sell it to someone else,” she said.
The Fight Over Public Programs
The fraud argument returned later when Flanagan complained that Minnesotans were losing access to publicly funded programs. Tafoya called that complaint rich, arguing that billions had left the state under Flanagan’s watch while Medicaid, Feeding Our Future, and programs for autistic children were gutted. She then challenged Flanagan’s sudden focus on Medicaid and SNAP. Tafoya asked how Flanagan could present herself as a defender of those programs while refusing to answer for the money that, according to Tafoya, left the state through fraud. She closed the exchange with the same blunt phrase: “Sell it to someone else.”
🚨 MUST WATCH: Peggy Flanagan had to be asked TWICE if she takes any responsibility over the fraud—and refused to do so.
Michele Tafoya absolutely destroys her response. pic.twitter.com/o4eBJe3Gb0
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 16, 2026