Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan leads Representative Angie Craig in Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary, with Flanagan capturing 52.9% of votes to Craig’s 45.7% as ballots are counted, according to live results from the New York Times.
The race to replace retiring Senator Tina Smith, who announced in February 2025 she would not seek reelection, has played out as a battle between the party’s progressive and moderate wings. Flanagan, a progressive organizer who has served as lieutenant governor since 2019, faced off against Craig, a centrist House member first elected in 2016 who has built a reputation for working across the aisle.
The primary turned heavily on immigration policy, particularly Craig’s vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-led detention measure that Trump signed into law. Craig was the only Minnesota Democrat in Congress to vote for the bill, which requires federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes. She later expressed regret for the vote, telling voters in July 2026 that the past months had “only strengthened my resolve to stand up to Trump’s cruel deportation machine,” but the issue dogged her campaign through primary day.
Flanagan sharply criticized Craig’s Laken Riley vote as a key distinction between them. The progressive candidate, who could become the first Native American woman in the U.S. Senate if she wins the general election, received endorsements from Senator Tina Smith and Senator Elizabeth Warren, according to Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association polling data.
Craig entered the primary with a substantial fundraising advantage, having raised $19.9 million including allied outside groups compared to Flanagan’s $4.7 million, according to New York Times reporting from election day. Despite the cash edge and backing from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Craig’s moderate positioning and the Laken Riley Act vote became liabilities in a primary electorate that leaned progressive. Early polls had shown Flanagan with a commanding lead, though some surveys tightened as the race progressed.
The Minnesota primary is part of a broader intra-party ideological struggle playing out across the Midwest. Nancy Pelosi backed Craig, signaling establishment support for the moderate, while Bernie Sanders campaigned for Flanagan ahead of the primary. The race reflects a national pattern in which Democrats are grappling with how far left to push their candidates in competitive states.
Flanagan’s primary victory sets up a general election in November 2026 against the winner of a competitive Republican primary. The seat is considered a key battleground, as Democrats seek to maintain control of the Senate in a challenging political environment.
Sources
- New York Times — Live primary results showing Flanagan at 52.9% and Craig at 45.7%
- Ballotpedia — Tina Smith’s retirement announcement and primary context
- NBC News — Characterization of Flanagan as progressive and Craig as moderate
- Politico — Tina Smith’s endorsement of Flanagan on February 2, 2026
- Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association — Polling data showing Flanagan’s endorsements from Smith and Warren
- MPR News — Craig’s regret over Laken Riley Act vote
- PBS NewsHour — Flanagan’s criticism of Craig’s Laken Riley vote and the ideological nature of the race
- The Hill — Characterization of the Minnesota race as a proxy battle in the moderate-versus-progressive struggle
