Senate debate: Lt. Gov. Flanagan, Republican nominee Tafoya spar over fraud, taxes

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota's Senate debate got heated fast as both candidates went after each other on some of the race's biggest issues.

Candidates traded barbs over fraud

Flanagan on tougher oversight:

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, acknowledged that voters are upset about fraud in Minnesota and said she backed stronger oversight and tougher consequences.

"I know that Minnesota taxpayers are angry, and I am angry, too. I’m someone who, you know –. I’m alive because a lot of those programs," she said. "The governor said that more should’ve been done and more should’ve been done sooner, and I agree with him. But I supported the independent office of inspector general. I also supported harsher penalties."

The other side:

Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee, questioned whether Flanagan was serious about stopping fraud.

"You and I are on the ballot and only one of us let $9 billion walk out the door to fraud. To suggest that she somehow is going to be a fraud czar all of a sudden, talk about changing tacks when it becomes politically expedient," she said. "My goodness. She was second in charge in this state, and she’s just going to point her finger at Gov. Tim Walz?"

One of the sharper remarks came when Tafoya said: "This historic fraud happened under her watch, and suddenly she’s looking out for Medicaid and SNAP? Sell it to someone else, Peggy?"

Tax cuts brought one area of overlap

Tafoya said taxes should lower:

When the moderator asked whether the candidates would support raising or lowering taxes, Tafoya argued for putting more money back in Minnesotans' pockets.

"My opponent, on the other hand, thinks that the answer to every issue in America is to throw more money at it, raise the taxes to throw more money at it and give more power to government," she said. "I want to put money back in the pockets of Minnesotans."

Flanagan on federal tax breaks:

Flanagan said she supports some federal tax cuts.

"There are pieces of the Big, Beautiful Bill, or the Big, Ugly Bill, that I think are important, like no tax on tips. As someone who worked as a server to get through college, that’s important to me," she said. "No tax on overtime. Both of those are set to expire."

Immigration and Trump stayed in the mix

What they're saying:

The debate also included an exchange about the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year, with both candidates blaming the other for how they responded.

"My opponent used the footage of Operation Metro Surge in her rollout video just days after Renee Good was killed," recounted Flanagan. "In fact, she went on a podcast the day Renee Good was killed and basically blamed her for her own death. We can absolutely do better, and Michele Tafoya is not it."

Tafoya said immigration and law and order go together.

"America should be a nation of immigration and also a nation of law and order. Those two things go hand in hand. The loss of Renee Good and Alex Pretti is devastating. I did not like the way that ICE rollout was handled by Kristi Noem, and she was appropriately fired," she said. "We also had a massive failure in leadership from Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who would not allow local law enforcement to protect the protesters, help protect the immigrants . . ."

President Donald Trump on Thursday teased a possible campaign stop in Minnesota. By the debate, he had endorsed Tafoya, and she avoided a question about whether she would appear on stage with him.