Minnesota voters head to the polls to decide a competitive U.S. Senate primary in a face-off between moderate and progressive candidates reported by PBS News. The election features an open U.S. Senate seat stemming from Democratic Sen. Tina Smith opting not to run for another term, according to coverage from FOX 9. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are among the six candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.
Minnesota Democrats Battle in Competitive U.S. Senate Primary
Candidate Backgrounds and Key Platforms
Rep. Angie Craig has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since flipping her seat from Republicans in 2018. According to her campaign website, she worked her way through college, became a news reporter, and later served as head of corporate relations for a major Minnesota manufacturer. Her congressional webpage highlights her as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress. Craig’s platform focuses on rebuilding the middle class by protecting Social Security and lowering the costs of health care, housing, childcare, groceries, and education, alongside protecting voting, reproductive, environmental, and LGBTQ+ rights, and pursuing comprehensive immigration reform.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan grew up in St. Louis Park, where she continues to live with her family. Her political career began on the Minneapolis School Board in 2004, followed by a role as director of the Children’s Defense Fund—Minnesota. In 2015, she was elected to the state legislature and formed the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus before becoming Lieutenant Governor alongside Gov. Tim Walz in 2018. Flanagan’s platform includes ending corruption in Washington by protecting free and fair elections and banning corporate money, fighting for Medicare for All, banning prior authorization processes for care, and raising the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour tied to inflation and increased costs.
Endorsements and Fundraising Totals
The Democratic primary has drawn notable high-profile alignments and financial backing:
- Peggy Flanagan: Backed by outgoing Sen. Tina Smith, progressive figures including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Ilhan Omar. Flanagan is also endorsed by the Minnesota DFL. She had about $1.1 million available to spend as of late July.
- Angie Craig: Backed by Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Craig has about doubled Flanagan in overall fundraising and held about $3.6 million available to spend as of late July.
Political action committees have also invested heavily in the race. The Center Forward Committee—founded by former Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer to support pragmatic policymakers—and Unite to Win have spent at least $2.4 million on Craig’s behalf.
Wider Primary Landscape
Craig is the sole member of Minnesota’s U.S. House delegation not running for reelection, triggering a six-way Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District featuring state Rep. Kaela Berg, state Sen. Matt Klein, and former state Sen. Matt Little. Meanwhile, on the Republican side of the Senate race, the Associated Press called the GOP primary for former NBC Sports sideline reporter and conservative commentator Michele Tafoya, who defeated opponents including Adam Schwarze and Royce Lewis.
