Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, pledges to protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which her campaign calls the "Working Family Tax Cuts." The law ends the tax credits for new wind and solar power and ended the home efficiency and rooftop solar credits, and Energy Innovation projected that its energy provisions will raise Minnesota household energy costs by $410 a year by 2035.
At a May 2026 campaign stop in Bemidji, Tafoya said Minnesotans will "have to accept a couple of data centers," though 60% of Minnesotans oppose building one in their area in a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll. She also backed the Iran war, and Minnesota gas prices rose 56.9% between the day before the war began and September 17, 2026.
Michele Tafoya's Pledge to Protect the Energy Credit Repeal and Her Statements on Data Centers and the Iran War
- Tafoya Pledged to Protect a Law Projected to Add $410 a Year to Minnesota Households' Energy Bills. As of October 25, 2026, Michele Tafoya's Senate campaign website pledges to "Protect working families' tax cuts" and says "The far left wants to repeal the Working Family Tax Cuts that just put thousands of dollars back in Minnesotans' pockets." The House of Representatives' April 2026 resolution on the law states that Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is commonly known as the "Working Families Tax Cuts." That pledge covers the law's energy provisions, which end the wind and solar tax credits for facilities placed in service after December 31, 2027 unless construction began within 12 months of enactment: the credits end for facilities the construction of which begins after the date which is 12 months after the date of enactment. Energy Innovation projected that the law's energy provisions will raise Minnesota household energy costs by $410 a year by 2035, CNBC reported, and that electricity rates nationally would increase 10 to 18 percent by 2035. Minnesota's Commerce Department testified in 2026 that federal legislation that repeals clean energy tax credits and keeps aging coal plants running will make energy more expensive, MPR News reported.
- The Law Tafoya Pledged to Protect Ended the Home Efficiency and Rooftop Solar Credits Minnesota Families Used. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect ended the 25C energy efficient home improvement credit for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 and the 25D residential clean energy credit for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, and moved the end of the 45L credit for new energy efficient homes from 2032 to June 30, 2026. The Union of Concerned Scientists noted the law imposed abrupt end dates of December 31, 2025, for 25C and 25D. Minnesota was among the top 20 states in 2023 use of the home energy-efficiency credits, Grist reported, citing Internal Revenue Service data.
- Tafoya Said Minnesotans Will "Have to Accept a Couple of Data Centers"; 60 Percent Oppose One Near Them. At a Beltrami County Republican meet-and-greet on May 16, 2026, Michele Tafoya said "If we like our internet, we're going to have to accept a couple of data centers," the Bemidji Pioneer reported. In a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll of 1,675 respondents released on July 24, 2026, only 27% support the construction of a new data center in their area; 60% oppose, and 69% oppose subsidies for local data centers. Nearly one-third of opponents cited the centers' impact on resources as their biggest reason, and several Minnesota cities have enacted moratoriums on new data centers, KSTP reported.
- Tafoya Said of the Iran War "This One Must Be Done" as Minnesota Gas Prices Rose 56.9 Percent. At the same May 16, 2026 event in Bemidji, Michele Tafoya said of the Iran war: "This one must be done." Minnesota's average gasoline price rose from $2.79 to $4.38 a gallon, or 56.9%, between February 27 and September 17, 2026, according to AAA data compiled by the Center for American Progress, and Energy Innovation's October 2026 analysis says the Strait of Hormuz blockade has raised gasoline prices.
What the Energy Changes Michele Tafoya Backs Cost Minnesota
- Gasoline prices. Energy Innovation projects that the law and other federal energy policy changes since January 2025 will inflate Minnesota's gasoline prices 16 percent in 2035 and 31 percent in 2040, on top of the pressure from the Iran war.
- Utility rate cases. Xcel Energy, Minnesota's largest electric utility, asked the state to raise its rates 13.2 percent over two years and has charged an interim increase of 5.2 percent since January 2025, and Otter Tail Power is seeking a 17.7 percent increase in western Minnesota, MPR News reported in September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions About Michele Tafoya on Energy and utility bills
What is Michele Tafoya's record on energy and utility bills under Trump?
Michele Tafoya pledges to protect the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which ends the wind and solar credits and ended the home efficiency and rooftop solar credits; Energy Innovation projected its energy provisions raise Minnesota household energy bills. She said Minnesotans will have to accept data centers that most of them oppose nearby, and she backed the Iran war as Minnesota gas prices rose by more than half.
Does Michele Tafoya support data centers in Minnesota?
Yes. Michele Tafoya said in Bemidji in May 2026 that Minnesotans "are going to have to accept a couple of data centers" if they like their internet, and she said she hoped they would be built where no one has to look at them. KSTP/SurveyUSA found in July 2026 that 38% of Minnesotans strongly oppose a new data center in their area.
Did the law Michele Tafoya backs end the rooftop solar tax credit?
Yes. The law Michele Tafoya pledges to protect ended the 25D residential clean energy credit for rooftop solar and home batteries for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, the Union of Concerned Scientists noted.
Last updated: 2026-10-25