Progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary, a contest shaped by fury over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and a result that adds to a string of progressive victories across the Midwest.
The Associated Press called the race for Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, who ran an at-times bitter campaign against Craig. Flanagan, 46, was boosted by endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. She is the latest progressive Democrat to win a primary as the party chooses who will lead it into the midterm elections. Last week, epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate nomination in Michigan.
Immigration crackdown defined the race
The primary turned on immigration enforcement. The Trump administration sent thousands of immigration officers to Minnesota in early 2026 as part of Operation Metro Surge, an operation that led to the deaths of two residents and hundreds of deportations. Craig, as a congresswoman, had voted for the Laken Riley Act, a federal law requiring immigration detention for undocumented immigrants accused of local crimes. She said in March that she regretted the vote. But it followed her campaign throughout.
Flanagan homed in on that vote. Her platform proposed what she called “radical change,” including “ripping apart” federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and expanding Medicare to cover everyone. She noted her own childhood experience using government food assistance, Medicaid, and childcare services to move into the middle class, pledging to fiercely defend those programs if elected.
Fundraising gap and endorsements
Craig had a fundraising advantage. She also benefited from extensive external ad spending in the contest. Her endorsers included former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Craig, 54, was first elected to Congress in 2018, flipping a Republican seat to become the first out lesbian elected to Congress from Minnesota. She represents a purple district south of the Twin Cities, which she pointed to as a sign of electability statewide.
Craig attacked Flanagan over fraud scandals that have rocked state social services, saying the lieutenant governor had not faced accountability for any role in the scandals. A citizen of the White Earth Nation, Flanagan served in the state house of representatives before becoming lieutenant governor in 2019. She began her political career as an organizer and says that background would help her build power for progressives in the Senate. If she wins in November, she will become the first Native American woman in the Senate.
Warren, in a statement, said Flanagan’s win is further proof that the many can beat the money. “Voters want leaders with backbones who will stand up to dark money super Pacs and fight to make life more affordable,” Warren said. “I was the very first senator to endorse Peggy because she’s the fighter we need in Washington.”
Flanagan told the Guardian that Democrats too often ask what they think they can win rather than what fights they should be picking. “It’s time to fight for what people actually need,” she said. She said she expected to be part of a Senate “fight club” of progressive senators.
On the Republican side, former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya won the GOP primary, according to the Associated Press. Tafoya is a former National Football League sideline reporter. The state leans Democratic. It has not elected a Republican statewide since 2006, when Tim Pawlenty won a second term as governor, and a Republican presidential candidate has not won the state since 1972.
Both the Senate and governor seats are open. Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, decided not to run again, saying she wanted to spend time with her grandkids and make way for new faces in the chamber. She endorsed Flanagan. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, initially sought a third term but dropped his bid after ongoing fraud scandals threatened to distract from the race.
In the governor’s race, Mike Lindell, an election denier and pillow salesman, lost to Lisa Demuth, the Minnesota house speaker, in a rebuke of Donald Trump’s endorsement power. Demuth will face Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, in November, where Klobuchar is favored to win. Lindell’s campaign liabilities had led his own party to speak out against him. He is contending with ongoing defamation cases because of his election denialism, as well as a potential campaign finance violation for handing out free pillows at a parade. He recently stepped down as CEO of MyPillow, which faces legal claims for unpaid bills.