Tina Smith
DDefeatedIncumbentFEC S8MN00578
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Raised this cycle$49K
Cash on hand: $119K
2026 race
MN — U.S. Senate
4 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Tina Smith.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
DeepSyte tracks the money and the record in every race against the issues you care about — not party, not press releases. Take the 2-minute values quiz to see your alignment.
How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Currently held by
Tina Smith (D) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$60M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Michele Tafoya
RChallengerFEC S6MN00556
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Raised this cycle$13M
Cash on hand: $2.8M
Peggy Flanagan
DChallengerFEC S6MN00440
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Raised this cycle$12M
Cash on hand: $993K
Rebecca Whiting
IChallengerFEC S6MN00572
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Raised this cycle$4K
Cash on hand: $2K
Marisa Simonetti
IChallengerFEC S6MN00481
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Raised this cycle$0
Cash on hand: $0
8 defeated candidates — show
Angie Craig
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00499
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Raised this cycle$13M
Cash on hand: $148K
Adam Schwarze
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00457
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Raised this cycle$1.5M
Cash on hand: $8K
Royce White
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S4MN00502
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Raised this cycle$735K
Cash on hand: $28K
Melisa Lopez Franzen
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00465
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Raised this cycle$299K
Cash on hand: $0
Tom Weiler
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00515
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Raised this cycle$221K
Cash on hand: $88K
David Hann
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00531
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Raised this cycle$133K
Cash on hand: $0
Mark York
RDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00549
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Raised this cycle$75K
Cash on hand: $863
Billy Nord
DDefeatedChallengerFEC S6MN00473
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Raised this cycle$0
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on MN — U.S. Senate
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Michele Tafoyaleans negative
3 pos50 neutral7 neg60 articles
Peggy Flanaganleans positive
6 pos87 neutral5 neg98 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$60M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$40M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$20M
$9.7M for · $9.9M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Michele Tafoya(R) + MINNESOTA FORWARD $20K − SHEEPDOG PAC $444K | $13M | $20K | $444K | $12M |
Peggy Flanagan(D) + NORTH STAR DAWN PAC $200K + INDIVISIBLE ACTION $34K + CLEAR VOICE MINNESOTA $19K − NORTH STAR DAWN PAC $6.0M − UNITE TO WIN $1.0M − MINNESOTA FORWARD $399K | $12M | $272K | $7.4M | $4.4M |
Rebecca Whiting(L) | $4K | — | — | $4K |
Marisa Simonetti | $0 | — | — | $0 |
9 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Angie Craig(D)defeated + NORTH STAR DAWN PAC $7.6M + CENTER FORWARD COMMITTEE $1.2M + MINNESOTANS FOR PROGRESS PAC $356K − DLGA $1.9M − CLEAR VOICE MINNESOTA $98K − SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION POLITICAL EDUCATION AND ACTION FUND $2K | $13M | $9.2M | $2.0M | $21M |
Adam Schwarze(R)defeated + SHEEPDOG PAC $233K | $1.5M | $233K | — | $1.7M |
Royce White(R)defeated | $735K | — | — | $735K |
Melisa Lopez Franzen(D)defeated | $299K | — | — | $299K |
Tom Weiler(R)defeated | $221K | — | — | $221K |
David Hann(R)defeated | $133K | — | — | $133K |
Mark York(R)defeated | $75K | — | — | $75K |
Tina Smith(D)incumbentdefeated | $49K | — | — | $49K |
Billy Nord(D)defeated | $0 | — | — | $0 |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside MN versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Michele Tafoya(R)56% in-state · $2.7M itemized
$1.5M in-state$1.2M out-of-state
Peggy Flanagan(D)43% in-state · $3.4M itemized
$1.5M in-state$1.9M out-of-state
Rebecca Whiting(L)100% in-state · $1K itemized
$1K in-state$0 out-of-state
8 defeated candidates — show
Angie Craig(D)defeated36% in-state · $9.0M itemized
$3.3M in-state$5.8M out-of-state
Adam Schwarze(R)defeated52% in-state · $1.0M itemized
$533K in-state$494K out-of-state
Royce White(R)defeated7% in-state · $291K itemized
$22K in-state$269K out-of-state
Melisa Lopez Franzen(D)defeated49% in-state · $165K itemized
$81K in-state$84K out-of-state
Tom Weiler(R)defeated55% in-state · $38K itemized
$21K in-state$17K out-of-state
David Hann(R)defeated72% in-state · $125K itemized
$90K in-state$35K out-of-state
Mark York(R)defeated31% in-state · $60K itemized
$19K in-state$42K out-of-state
Tina Smith(D)defeated52% in-state · $12K itemized
$6K in-state$6K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Tafoya | Flanagan | Whiting | Simonetti | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxescontested People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — | ||||
Educationcontested Parents should be able to use public funds — through vouchers — to send their kids to private or charter schools. | — | ||||
Foreign Policycontested The U.S. should keep sending military aid to Ukraine. | — | ||||
Healthcarecontested The government should provide healthcare for everyone. | — | ||||
Immigrationcontested The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||||
Governance & Othercontested Voters should be required to show photo ID, with the same rule in every state. | — | ||||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | ||||
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | ||||
Economy Reducing the national debt should be a higher priority than new spending. | — | ||||
Abortion Each state should set its own abortion laws. | — | ||||
Abortion Access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments should be protected by federal law. | — | ||||
Abortion Access to contraception should be guaranteed by federal law in all states (Right to Contraception Act). | — | ||||
Agriculture SNAP (food stamp) eligibility and benefit levels should be expanded. | — | ||||
Criminal Justice Federal minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes should be reduced or eliminated. | — | ||||
Criminal Justice The federal government should send more money to local police departments. | — | ||||
Criminal Justice Federal law should allow individuals to sue police officers for civil-rights violations even when officers claim qualified immunity. | — | ||||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | ||||
Economy The expanded child tax credit (refundable, paid monthly) should be made permanent. | — | ||||
Economy The federal government should require employers to provide paid family and medical leave. | — | ||||
Education The government should forgive some federal student loan debt. | — | ||||
Education Education policy should be set by states, not the federal Department of Education. | — | ||||
Education Federal Title IX protections should explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. | — | ||||
Environment The government should set legally enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emissions. | — | ||||
Environment Federal permitting and subsidies for new nuclear power plants should be expanded. | — | ||||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should spend more on the military. | — | ||||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should bring more troops home from overseas bases. | — | ||||
Foreign Policy Conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel — tied to humanitarian or human-rights compliance — should be strengthened. | — | ||||
Foreign Policy Congress should explicitly authorize U.S. military defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. | — | ||||
Healthcare Enhanced ACA premium subsidies should be made permanent at expanded levels. | — | ||||
Healthcare Federal enforcement of mental-health insurance parity (equal coverage to medical care) should be strengthened. | — |
Showing top 30 of 40 questions with extracted positions.
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Michele Tafoya
- Midterms launch wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the nationChicago TribuneNov 4
- Midterms bringing in wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the nation - NewsdayNewsdayNov 4
- Peggy Flanagan wins Minnesota Senate race over Michele TafoyaNew York PostNov 4
- A referendum on Trump, election monitors and a Democratic shift: What to watch on Election DayThe Virginian-PilotNov 3
Peggy Flanagan
- https://rollcall.com/2026/11/04/new-senate-class-includes-experienced-lawmakers-ex-governor/Roll CallNov 4
- Midterms launch wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the nationChicago TribuneNov 4
- Midterms bringing in wave of historic firsts for some states — and for the nation - NewsdayNewsdayNov 4
- Peggy Flanagan wins Minnesota Senate race over Michele TafoyaNew York PostNov 4
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.