Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat, defeating Rep. Angie Craig. The race was a tight contest between the two women, with both candidates making strong appeals to different parts of the Democratic base. Flanagan, who is Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, ran an at-times bitter campaign against Craig.
She was backed by prominent Democratic figures including Sen. Tina Smith and others who supported her progressive platform, according to NPR. Flanagan’s campaign focused on her personal history with government assistance programs like food aid and Medicaid. She promised to fiercely defend these services if elected to the Senate.
Craig had a fundraising edge and received support from outside groups and high-profile Democrats like Pete Buttigieg and Tammy Baldwin. Craig tried to tie Flanagan to past fraud in state government programs. Flanagan’s campaign platform included proposals for major changes, including dismantling federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
She also advocated expanding Medicare to cover all Americans. The primary was part of a broader pattern of progressive victories in recent Democratic contests across the country. In Michigan, another progressive candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, also won his party’s nomination for Senate.
Flanagan’s win makes her the likely Democratic nominee to face Republican Michele Tafoya in the general election, according to a report from The Washington Post. Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, won the Republican primary for the seat. Sen. Tina Smith, who is retiring, endorsed Flanagan in the Democratic race.
If elected, Flanagan would become the first Native American senator from Minnesota. The contest became a proxy battle between the Democratic establishment and its progressive wing, The Hill reported. Both candidates condemned fraud in their interviews with The Hill in December.
Flanagan’s past vote on a controversial immigration bill was later regretted by her, according to an op-ed she wrote in March. Sen. Smith also issued a statement supporting Flanagan’s campaign efforts. The primary results reflect growing support for progressive candidates in key Democratic races ahead of the midterms.
IMAGE: Peggy Flanagan. Photo: Office of Governor Mark Dayton & Lt. Governor Tina Smith / Wikimedia, taken 2017-01-03, CC BY 2.0