Democratic senator: Trump is ‘laying the groundwork’ to steal Minnesota election

Retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) says that President Trump is “laying the groundwork” for MAGA allies to “steal” the Senate election after Trump said the federal government would be keeping an eye on the state.

“He’s blatantly laying the groundwork to steal an election if his chosen candidate doesn’t win… Minnesota will not take kindly to thinly veiled threats from a guy we’ve rejected three times (soon to be four),” Smith posted on the social platform X .

The senator made the comment in response to Trump’s warning that his administration is “watching closely” for voter fraud in the race between Republican Michele Tafoya and Democrat Peggy Flanagan to fill Smith’s seat.

“Let’s all get behind Michele Tafoya in Minnesota. She’s running a great race. Don’t allow them to play with the Votes after the race is over,” the president posted to Truth Social on Monday. “The Federal Government will be watching closely.”

“The only way she can lose is if they cheat by playing games with the Ballots as they come in,” he added.

Trump claimed without evidence he would have won Minnesota in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential races if votes had been counted properly.

“We can’t allow that to happen, because I won Minnesota three times, but they didn’t give me the Victories, and Minnesota hasn’t been ‘won’ since 1972, when Richard Nixon claimed the trophy,” the president continued, referring to the last time a Republican candidate carried the North Star State in a presidential election.

Recent polls show the Senate race between Tafoya and Flanagan, the lieutenant governor, has tightened amid Republican criticisms over Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of widespread fraud within Minnesota’s social services programs that bilked hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Tafoya in a recent ad describes herself as a “pro-choice Republican” who’s “not afraid to stand up to my party” and slams Flanagan as a politician who “put politics first and let fraudsters steal your money.”

Another spot from the GOP hopeful accuses the Democrat and Walz of creating a “culture of corruption” in Minnesota.

Flanagan is running on affordability and has run ads touting “Medicare for All” and ending “Trump’s tax breaks for billionaires.”

She said in one recent ad that she is “running for Senate to help people afford their lives” and warned that Tafoya would be “another senator for Trump.”

Recent polls show Flanagan leading Tafoya by an average of 3.5 percentage points, according to RealClearPolling.com.