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Progressives again scored a victory in Minnesota where Gov. Tim Walz’s second-in-command toppled an establishment-backed member of Congress.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan eked out a victory over Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., on Tuesday, marking yet another battle won in the progressive proxy war to reshape the Democratic Party during this midterm election cycle.
Flanagan, like other progressives in the hunt for a position of power in Congress, has honed her left-leaning bona fides by backing Medicare for all and pushing an end to military aid to Israel.
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Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor and Senate hopeful, faced backlash over her progressive activism and outreach amid the state’s sprawling fraud controversy. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
She’s also vowed to go after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of two deadly immigration enforcement-related shootings in Minnesota and used Craig’s support of legislation, like the Laken Riley Act, as a political cudgel to build a distinction between the two of them.
Those positions have earned her the backing of progressive heavyweights like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and even Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., whose decision to retire from the Senate opened up the contest.
Notably, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is running for governor, has not weighed in on the race so far.
Craig, who was viewed as the safer, more moderate pick, had the backing of the Democratic old-guard, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
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Republicans are licking their chops, too, at Schumer getting handed another loss.
“Morale among Chuck Schumer’s establishment is at an all-time low, and Bernie Sanders’ socialist flank is filling the gap with candidates like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed,” Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital.
And it’s also brought reams of cash into the race. Craig has raised nearly $13 million this cycle, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission, while Flanagan has raked in just shy of $7 million.
“Peggy Flanagan is about bringing about real change, standing up to the big money interests,” Sanders told “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “There is a reason why the super PACs and the billionaires are flooding Minnesota with all kinds of money. Same thing as Michigan.”
Republicans see Flanagan’s candidacy in the same vein as Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who last week similarly squeaked out a narrow win over Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who, like Craig, has Schumer’s backing.
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Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., addresses media on Feb. 20, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (David Berding/Getty Images)
They also have built-in messaging against her: Flanagan was Walz’s right hand as the Minnesota fraud scandal rippled across the airwaves and nation. While the scandal killed his prospects of running for reelection as governor, it has so far not kneecapped Flanagan’s candidacy. And Walz hasn’t waded into the endorsement game in the Senate contest, either.
They’re confident that national Republicans’ candidate of choice, former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, will win her primary and be the candidate to turn Minnesota red. There’s also the possibility that Flanagan, who has not raked in the same level of cash that Craig did, may become a resource drain for other key races on Democrats’ score card.
“Minnesota and Michigan being in play was not on Chuck Schumer’s bingo card this cycle,” a GOP operative told Fox News Digital. “It remains to be seen which battleground(s) Democrats will have to pull resources from to drag socialists like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed across the finish line in November.”
And Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., when asked by CNN which races kept him up at night, said one contest gave him hope.
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“The one thing that gets me excited when I think about this election cycle on the map is Minnesota,” said Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). “I think Minnesota, we have a real shot with Michele Tafoya.”
“What we know without question is, she is within a point of the lieutenant governor right now,” he said. “So if we can continue to let her show the contrast between the two candidates, I think Michele Tafoya’s the kind of Republican that can win.”
