Peggy Flanagan is the projected winner in Minnesota’s Senate Democratic primary, a race that tested how much fuel progressive candidates have in statewide contests.
Flanagan, the state’s lieutenant governor, beat Rep. Angie Craig, lining her up to run against Republican Michele Tafoya in the general election. Craig, a centrist who flipped a Republican House seat for Democrats in 2018, ran against Flanagan in a test of moderates versus progressives within the party, a battle that has played out in other primaries.
Flanagan earned the endorsement of several progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and the support of Sen. Tina Smith, whose retirement is leaving the seat up for grabs. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is the equivalent of a state Democratic party, backed Flanagan over Craig in the contest.
Craig skipped the convention where delegates of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party picked a candidate, saying the endorsement process “does not reflect the full scope of the party.”
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Craig, who raised $12.7 million as of July 22, outraised Flanagan, who raised about $6.5 million in the same period.
The state has been a Democratic stronghold for decades, and it’s been the stage for some recent national issues and debates, from the murder of George Floyd in 2020 to the aggressive presence of federal agents during Operation Metro Surge that resulted in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti earlier this year.
The administration’s actions in the Twin Cities played a key role in the state’s primaries.
Flanagan criticized Craig for her vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, named after a college student who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant, which allows federal law enforcement to detain and deport immigrants for certain nonviolent crimes. Craig has since told voters she regretted that vote because of the additional powers it granted federal agents.
Craig losing is also a blow to the party leaders who backed her, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz.
Gov. Tim Walz, who has been embroiled in controversy surrounding investigations of fraud in the state, remained quiet in the primary.
Advance Native Political Leadership, a national and Native-led organization that seeks to elect more Native Americans, also backed Flanagan.
Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, would be the first Native American woman to serve in the Senate if elected.
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