Flanagan wins Minnesota Democratic Senate primary

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Angie Craig in a closely watched contest that tested the strength of the party’s progressive wing and put immigration enforcement at the center of the race.

Flanagan will face Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter and sports broadcaster, in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. If elected, Flanagan would become the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Flanagan, 46, is the country’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office and a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. She was endorsed by Smith, the Minnesota DFL Party, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other progressive leaders. NPR reported that her victory follows other recent wins by progressive Democrats in Senate primaries, including Abdul El-Sayed’s nomination in Michigan.

“This entire campaign has been about the many versus the money,” Flanagan told NBC News’ “Meet the Press Now” on the eve of the primary. Craig and her allies spent nearly $20 million on television and radio ads, while Flanagan and her allies spent $4.7 million, according to AdImpact.

“I’m running to make sure that people can afford the lives they want to live,” Flanagan said. “I want to get big money out of our politics, and I want to fight for things like ‘Medicare for All’ so that people aren’t just paying for health insurance but actually have access to health care.”

Flanagan’s campaign emphasized what NPR described as “radical change,” including expanding Medicare to cover everyone and “ripping apart” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a Minnesota Public Radio debate, Flanagan said ICE “has to be ripped apart,” while also saying she supports immigration enforcement to ensure secure borders.

Immigration became one of the sharpest dividing lines in the Democratic primary. NBC News reported that federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis this year amid the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge. The Guardian reported that Minnesota also saw hundreds of deportations after the Trump administration sent thousands of immigration officers into the state in early 2026 as part of Operation Metro Surge.

Craig, a fourth-term congresswoman representing a competitive district in the Twin Cities metro area, faced criticism for voting for the Laken Riley Act, an immigration detention measure signed by President Donald Trump shortly after he began his second term in January 2025. Craig later said she regretted the vote. She argued during the campaign that she was the stronger general election candidate and had endorsements from Democrats including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Craig also attacked Flanagan over fraud in Minnesota social services programs, arguing Republicans would use the issue against her in the fall. Flanagan accused Craig of repeating “Republican talking points.” Asked in a debate about her role in responding to the fraud scandal, Flanagan said, “The governor has taken the lead here, and the administration has been aggressive internally in working to stop fraud, prevent it from happening in the first place.”

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz stayed neutral in the primary, though his wife, Gwen Walz, backed Craig. The Guardian reported that Walz had initially sought a third term but dropped his bid after fraud scandals threatened to distract from the race.

Both Craig and Flanagan pledged party unity. “Congresswoman Craig and I will be unified in making sure that Democrats hold this seat no matter what happens,” Flanagan said. Craig said she would support Flanagan if she won, adding, “The most important thing in this election is that we beat Republicans. That’s what matters.”

Tafoya won the Republican primary after pitching herself as a political outsider. She called herself a “pro-choice” Republican and did not receive the state GOP endorsement, which went to retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze. National Republican Senatorial Campaign Chairman Tim Scott supported Tafoya, and national Republicans viewed her as their strongest candidate for the race, NBC News reported.

Minnesota has not elected a Republican statewide since Tim Pawlenty won reelection as governor in 2006. Trump lost Minnesota by 4 percentage points in 2024 while winning 47% of the vote, NBC News reported, the best showing by a Republican presidential candidate in the state in two decades.