U.S. Senate candidates debate Minnesota fraud

(The Center Square) – Voters in Minnesota head to the polls Tuesday to pick party nominees to fill Sen. Tina Smith’s seat.

The primary election has drawn competition from both sides with several candidates. Thirty-three of 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election in 2026, and Minnesota’s race will go toward determining the chamber’s partisan makeup.

Democrats hold 13 seats up for reelection and Republicans hold 22. Minnesota is one of 11 seats iwhere an incumbent candidate is not running for reelection.

Among Democrats, Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are leading in the polls among the six candidates.

Craig has repeatedly criticized Flanagan for her lack of an aggressive fraud pursuit during her time as lieutenant governor.

“The lieutenant governor, even as we sit here today, continues to take absolutely no accountability for any of the fraud issues, and she continues to blame the governor,” Craig said in a debate ahead of the primary.

Flanagan, the more progressive candidate, criticize...