Opinion
Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe) won the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party on Saturday for the nomination to become the next U.S. senator from Minnesota. Flanagan is seeking the open Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).
While Flanagan secured the DFL endorsement at the party’s convention, she still faces a primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) in August.
Both candidates entered the race shortly after Smith announced her retirement. Early on, Craig was widely viewed as the frontrunner.
But Craig’s support for the Laken Riley Act — legislation backed by President Donald Trump that requires the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes, including nonviolent offenses such as burglary, theft, and shoplifting — became a significant liability.
As federal immigration operations intensified in Minnesota, up to 4,000 ICE and DHS officers were deployed across the state. Public outrage grew after two Minnesotans — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed in separate encounters with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January, sparking protests and calls for accountability across the state.
Flanagan capitalized on the growing backlash, drawing a sharp contrast with Craig’s immigration stance. Although Craig later attempted to moderate her position, the political damage had already been done.
Despite spending more than $3 million on the race, Craig found herself trailing Flanagan by double digits in several statewide polls. Seeing the momentum shift decisively in Flanagan’s favor, Craig ultimately reversed course and withdrew from the fight for the party’s endorsement.
“I am deeply humbled and grateful to earn the support of DFLers all across Minnesota who believe that my leadership is what this moment demands,” Flanagan said after receiving the party’s endorsement on Saturday.
If Flanagan, a tribal citizen of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, is elected, she will become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She was elected Minnesota lieutenant governor in 2018. Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, she served on the Minnesota School Board and in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
While attending college, Flanagan worked on the campaign of the U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, where she eventually became an organizer focused on the urban Native American community. She later served on the school board, worked as a trainer for Wellstone Action and continued building a career rooted in grassroots organizing and public service.
While the DFL endorsement is meaningful and sets her a positive pathway towards the nomination, Flanagan trails Craig significantly in fundraising.
Federal campaign finance reports show Craig has raised more than $9 million during the race and entered the spring with nearly $5 million in cash on hand. Flanagan, meanwhile, has raised roughly half that amount and reported just over $1 million available for the final stretch of the campaign.
The fundraising disparity gives Craig the resources to mount an extensive statewide advertising campaign before voters head to the polls in August.
For Native voters and tribal communities across Minnesota and Indian Country, the race carries significance beyond partisan politics.
Flanagan has become one of the nation’s most prominent Native elected officials since becoming Minnesota’s lieutenant governor in 2019. Throughout her tenure, she has frequently highlighted the importance of tribal consultation, Indigenous education, missing and murdered Indigenous relatives initiatives, and investments in Native communities.
Minnesota is home to 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations, and Native voter participation has become increasingly influential in statewide elections. Tribal leaders and Native political advocates are closely watching the race as a potential milestone in Indigenous political representation.
While Flanagan enters the summer as the apparent front-runner, Craig’s financial strength and statewide campaign infrastructure ensure the contest remains competitive.
The coming months will test whether Flanagan’s grassroots support can withstand Craig’s fundraising advantage as both candidates seek to mobilize Democratic voters ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
For Native communities across Minnesota and throughout Indian Country, the outcome could mark another significant chapter in the growing political influence of Indigenous leaders at the national level.
Native communities across Minnesota and throughout Indian Country have an opportunity to do something that would have seemed nearly impossible not long ago: elect a Native woman to the United States Senate.
The months ahead will test whether Flanagan’s grassroots support can overcome Craig’s substantial financial advantage. Campaign advertisements will flood television screens. Political strategists will dissect every poll and fundraising report. The race will become increasingly nationalized as outside groups weigh in.
Yet beneath all of that political noise remains a simple truth: This election is about more than filling a Senate seat. It is about whether tribal nations have another advocate in Washington who understands sovereignty not as an abstract policy issue, but as a lived reality.
For Native communities, that distinction matters.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all related.
