EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota Fraud Scandal Could Put State’s Open Senate Seat In Play During Midterms, Thune Says

Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal could provide an opening for Republicans to flip the state’s open Senate seat during November’s midterm elections, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday.

Though Minnesota tends to elect Democrats at the federal level, the alleged colossal theft of taxpayer dollars is proving to be a major embarrassment for the party. Thune argued that Minnesota Democrats’ failure to manage taxpayer money could emerge as a potent attack line for Republicans in the state’s 2026 Senate race.  (RELATED: Over $9 Billion Looted From Minnesota Medicaid Programs, Feds Say)

“This scandal, it draws more attention to how Democrats mismanage taxpayer resources,” Thune told the DCNF in an interview. “And if you are interested in the stewardship of taxpayer dollars, then maybe it’s time to look in a different direction.”

“I think for the right candidate that could be a competitive race,” Thune added.

More than 90 people, most of Somali descent, have been charged by federal prosecutors in the welfare fraud scheme.

The first indictments were related to a pandemic-era nutrition program for low-income children whose services the defendants never provided while spending some of the money on luxury items and real estate abroad. Additional theft continues to be uncovered in the state’s Medicaid billing and autism and housing services programs, which could total $9 billion or more.

Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, the leading Democratic contenders in the Senate race, have been largely silent on the fraud scandal roiling the state. The two Democrats have also praised the leadership of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who suspended his reelection campaign Monday after drawing intense scrutiny for failing to prevent the widespread fraud, despite concerns from whistleblowers.

A top super PAC for Senate Republicans and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, connected the large-scale fraud to the race open Senate seat vacated by retiring Democratic Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith.

“The systematic fraud overseen by Tim Walz and Minnesota Democrats has put the state’s open Senate seat squarely in play and provides yet another opportunity for Senate Republicans to expand their majority,” SLF communications director Chris Gustafson said in a statement Monday.

“While Democrats spent years ignoring the billions stolen from children and taxpayers, the brutal learing lesson they receive from voters this fall will be impossible to ignore,” Gustafson added in a reference to a purported Somali daycare center with a misspelled name highlighted in YouTuber Nick Shirley’s viral video.

Republicans have also sharply criticized Democrats’ opposition to eliminating waste and abuse in Medicaid at the federal level. President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax and spending cut law enacted more stringent eligibility checks and work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, which no Democrats supported.

Thune did not specify which candidate he will ultimately get behind, but said conversations were ongoing about landing the right recruit. A slate of GOP candidates have already entered the race, but failed to attract support from national Republicans.

Longtime sports broadcaster and political commentator Michele Tafoya is weighing a Senate bid in Minnesota. In December, Tafoya met with NRSC officials and other stakeholders, who have sought to recruit her into the race, Outkick first reported.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Commentator Michele Tafoya looks on during Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A source familiar with Tafoya’s plans told the DCNF that she is expected to announce her decision in January.

Thune is also seeking to flip Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire to expand Senate Republicans’ 53-seat majority during the midterms. The presence of a well-funded GOP candidate in Minnesota could force Democrats to play defense in the left-leaning state while the party mounts a longshot bid to retake Senate control.

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