Flanagan defeats Craig in Minnesota Senate primary as progressive bloc hands Schumer a second loss
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 12. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan edged out Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., in the state's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, extending a progressive winning streak against Schumer-backed candidates to two consecutive weeks and leaving the party's centrist wing without a Senate nominee in either Minnesota or Michigan.
Key takeaways
- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota's Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
- Flanagan's win marks the second consecutive week a progressive candidate beat a Schumer-backed candidate, following Abdul El-Sayed's defeat of Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan.
- Craig raised nearly $13 million this cycle to Flanagan's just under $7 million, but Flanagan won with endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, and Tina Smith.
- Republicans have aligned behind Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, as their preferred candidate for November.
- Flanagan backs Medicare for All, calls for ending military aid to Israel, and pledged action against ICE after two deadly immigration enforcement-related shootings in Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 12. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan edged out Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., in the state's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, extending a progressive winning streak against Schumer-backed candidates to two consecutive weeks and leaving the party's centrist wing without a Senate nominee in either Minnesota or Michigan.
The money gap
Craig entered the race with a clear fundraising advantage. She raised nearly $13 million this cycle according to Federal Election Commission filings, while Flanagan collected just shy of $7 million. Schumer backed Craig alongside the broader Democratic establishment. The spending edge ran one way; the endorsements ran the other.
Flanagan drew support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., whose retirement created the vacancy. Sanders, speaking on "Face the Nation" Sunday, said super PACs and outside money had flooded both Minnesota and Michigan to counter progressive candidates, and framed Flanagan as standing against those interests. Gov. Tim Walz stayed out of the endorsement contest, as did Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is running for governor.
Platform and built-in exposure
Flanagan has backed Medicare for All and called for ending military aid to Israel. She drew a contrast with Craig on the Laken Riley Act, which Craig had supported, and pledged action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement following two deadly immigration enforcement-related shootings in Minnesota.
Republicans also plan to press a liability from the Walz years: Flanagan served as lieutenant governor during the Minnesota fraud scandal that ended Walz's reelection prospects. That exposure has not yet cost her the primary.
Michigan parallel and November outlook
The result echoes the prior week's Michigan primary, where Dr. Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., another incumbent with Schumer's backing. Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said establishment morale was at a low point as the progressive wing claimed consecutive wins.
Republicans have aligned behind Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, as their preferred candidate in November. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., chair of the NRSC, told CNN that Tafoya was within a point of Flanagan and described Minnesota as a race he expected his party to contest through the fall.