Minnesota Voters Seize Senate Nomination From Donors
Minnesota Democrats destabilized the republic Tuesday by allowing voters, rather than television advertising budgets, to choose Peggy Flanagan as their nominee for an open U.S. Senate seat. Flanagan, the state’s lieutenant governor and DFL-endorsed progressive, defeated Rep. Angie Craig by roughly 20 points despite Craig and allied groups spending far more money to establish the proper outcome. Election professionals described the result as a breakdown of America’s traditional one-dollar, one-vote system, under which citizens are free to select any candidate previously approved by donors.
Flanagan ran on confronting corporate influence and President Donald Trump, recklessly suggesting that senators should represent constituents instead of whoever purchased the most ominous commercial during “Wheel of Fortune.” Her victory left campaign consultants struggling to explain why millions of dollars in polished attack ads had failed to outweigh Minnesotans’ direct contact with the candidates, their policy preferences and the numbers printed on their ballots. Craig conceded and endorsed Flanagan, further undermining democratic norms by declining to spend six months claiming the primary had been stolen by voting machines, weather patterns or suspiciously motivated arithmetic.
Trump condemned the result as election interference by an election. “It’s very unfair when somebody with less money wins, because money is how you know who won, everybody knows that,” Trump said. “If voters can simply choose candidates after hearing all the beautiful advertisements, frankly, you won’t have a country anymore. The consultants tell me this very strongly, and they have invoices.” Republican officials agreed that permitting citizens to overrule paid messaging created a dangerous precedent in which campaigns might need popular support in addition to financing.
Flanagan will face Republican nominee Michele Tafoya in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Until then, national strategists have urged Minnesota residents to stop conducting unauthorized research by meeting candidates, comparing policies and casting ballots without written guidance from a super PAC. By Tuesday night, the candidate with the most votes had been declared the winner, formally ending democracy in Minnesota.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.