Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Michelle Tafoya spar on Operation Metro Surge, fraud during U.S. Senate debate

The DFL's Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan faced off against President Trump-backed Republican Michelle Tafoya in a debate Friday as polls show a tightening race for U.S. Senate.

The two candidates butted heads on Operation Metro Surge and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Flanagan accused Tafoya of attempting to reinvent herself just weeks before the election.

Tafoya's public sentiments have changed; she initially defended the surge and called for law and order, but has since been critical of the federal government. 

She also made attempts to portray herself as someone who isn't afraid to go against the grain of the president, or the Republican party as a whole. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump endorsed Tafoya, who had a lukewarm reaction, simply saying she had "heard about that."

"America should be a nation of immigration and also a nation of law and order," Tafoya said during the debate. "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 appropariately fired."

Tafoya also used her time to put part of the blame of Operation Metro Surge on Flanagan, saying that the leadership from the governor's office was a "massive failure."

"[Flanagan] would not allow local law enforcement to help protect the protesters, help protect immigrants, help protect law enforcement, or help protect general public," Tafoya said. "They told our officers to stand down."

Flanagan rebuked the claim. She says she's in favor of a full dismantling of ICE itself and replacing it with a different entity all together. 

"ICE has detained 6,200 children and my opponent said ICE treats children really really well. She also has said ICE should actually be called 'nice' so we are in a moment where Michelle Tafoya again is trying to reinvent who she is just to get across the finish line here in the final weeks of the campaign," Flanagan said. "The fact that she used rollout footage in her campaign video from Operation Metro Surge, I think tells you how she really feels."

Flanagan and Tafoya also sparred about the Minnesota fraud crisis. Tafoya said Flanagan and the Walz administration let billions of dollars walk out the door. Flanagan, on the other hand, says Republicans have fraud problems of their own.

During the debate, Flanagan did her best to distance herself from Walz and any decisions he had around fraud. She also touted her support of the Office of Inspector General and harsher penalties for fraudsters.

Tafoya said she'd support deportations for non-citizens caught committing fraud and mandatory prison sentences for American citizens. She also did her best to tie Flanagan to the fraud committed in Minnesota. 

"The governor has been very clear that he, the buck stops with him. He was the one who had oversight here. I've led on issues like paid family and medical leave, a nation-leading child tax credit, making sure that kids get breakfast and lunch at school. Those are the things. And those are the areas where I took the lead," Flanagan said.

Election Day is on Nov. 3. You can also check out WCCO's election guide to learn about the candidates on the ballot and check where your polling location is.