Photo- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, wins Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party primary on August 11, 2026 and gives her victory speech at the watch party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Amelia Schafer/ICT)
MINNEAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan took the podium wearing beaded moccasins and earrings to deliver a victory speech in downtown Minneapolis after she secured Minnesota’s Democratic party’s nomination for U.S. Senate.
“I’ve seen how powerful we are when we stand up and fight for each other,” Flanagan, White Earth Nation, told a raucous election night crowd after her primary win. “This year, our state faced incredible challenges, but we came together and we came out stronger than ever. And we’re going to do it again. Because when we work together, when we organize together, when we fight together, we are unstoppable.”
She also had a special word for a community she holds dear.
“And to everyone in Indian Country who has been lifting me up,” she said, in a long list of thank yous during her speech.
With the primary victory in hand, Flanagan is now one step closer to making history as the first Native American woman to ever serve in the U.S. Senate. Minnesota has not elected a Republican senator since 2002.
Flanagan defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, according to the Associated Press. Flanagan notched more than 59 percent of the vote with 100 percent of the precincts reporting. Flanagan and Craig were neck-and-neck leading up to the primary to replace Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, with some polls in late July showing
The lieutenant governor will face Republican Michele Tafoya in the general election on Nov. 3. Tafoya grabbed more than 52 percent of GOP votes cast and easily beat second-place finisher Adam Schwarze and seven others.
In her victory speech, Flanagan turned her attention to her general election opponent, noting that money will likely flood into Tafoya’s campaign.
“This campaign has always been about the many versus the money,” Flanagan said. “Friends, we’re not going to let them flip this seat. Minnesota is going to be part of Democrats taking back the Senate, holding Donald Trump accountable and helping working people before billionaires and corporate special interests. “And you know what else I know? We’re going to win.”
Flanagan’s race was closely watched in Indian Country, and Native supporters came out to witness Flanagan’s win at her election night watch party.
“Such a positive feeling,” said Kate Beane, executive director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art who is Flandreau Santee Sioux Dakota and Muscogee Creek. “The feeling is joyous.”
Pallas Erdrich, Turtle Mountain Chippewa and manager of Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, agreed.
“I’ve never felt anything like this,” she told ICT. “This was a different kind of emotion. So lucky … to see her make history. It is just incredible to see.”Craig offered her support to Flanagan after the results were clear.
“Peggy Flanagan’s commitment to Minnesota and dedication to improving the lives of everyone around her is admirable — I offer her my wholehearted support,” Craig wrote in a Facebook post. “Michele Tafoya is a threat to our democracy — it’s time for Minnesota to come together and keep this seat blue.”
Flanagan received numerous key endorsements from individuals and organizations as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is the formal name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota. Among her backers were former Secretary of the Department of Interior Deb Haaland, who is Laguna Pueblo; Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont; and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, Democrat, among others.
“Native people have long registered to vote, turned out to vote in high numbers, run for office,” Flanagan told ICT in June. “Now we get to mobilize our communities for these victories and make sure that Indian Country is well represented where decisions are being made about us all of the time.”
Flanagan’s campaign faced significant spending against her. The Flanagan-Craig race is one of the most expensive races in Minnesota history, with Craig raising $12 million compared to Flanagan’s $6 million as of July 22.
Flanagan campaign volunteers knocked on more than 200,000 doors statewide between June 1 and Aug. 11, a spokesperson for Flanagan told ICT.
She currently serves as Minnesota’s 50th lieutenant governor, marking her as the country’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office.
Raised in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis, Flanagan said she grew up utilizing public programs such as Section 8 housing, food assistance and childcare assistance, something that shaped her career in politics directly. She still lives in St. Louis Park.
“I’m a kid who grew up, on the margins carrying a box of commodity cheese under my arm, like a football,” Flanagan told
ICT in June. “I know what it feels like to try to have to stretch 20 bucks through the end of the month. And frankly, there aren’t enough people serving in Washington, D.C., who understand. I think that lived experience matters.”
Flanagan was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2015, where she served the communities of St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Plymouth and Medicine Lake.
In 2017 she helped form the state’s first People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, aimed at improving the education, health and economic opportunities of people of color and Indigenous communities across Minnesota.
“As an Anishinaabe Kwe, as a Native woman, what I’ve been taught is that we are supposed to do everything possible to ensure that our elders have what they need to be cared for,” Flanagan told ICT in June. “[It’s about] fighting to make sure that folks have access to healthcare, and affordable housing, that we take care of our little ones.”
Encouraging Natives to vote
Early on Election Day, ICT caught up with Angela Two Stars, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, who is part of an effort in Minnesota to get Native community members to vote.
“A lot of our Native American community has an inherent mistrust of government,” said Angela Two Stars, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. “But by not voting, you’re not giving your voice and having a say in issues that impact our Native people, like missing and murdered relatives, our climate issues, even like school support for Native American youth. All these issues are things that affect our Native community.”
Two Stars is the vice president of arts and culture at the Native American Community Development Institute on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. She is working to make voting a tradition in the large urban Native community in the Twin Cities.
“Making voting a tradition is a program of the Native American (institute) and it’s a civic engagement component of our work. And it is encouraging a familiarization and experience of voting in all elections, tribal elections, city elections, national elections, midterm elections, primary elections, all of it.”
But in Minneapolis this year there are headwinds.
“Minnesota just recently went through this major (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) occupation in January,” she told ICT.
But in Minneapolis this year there are headwinds.“Minnesota just recently went through this major (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) occupation in January,” she told ICT.
“We’re still dealing with the impacts of that and the fear that it generated. … We want to encourage our Native American voters to go out and vote.”
And many did.
Prediction market money lining up against Flanagan
Gregory Good Man, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, said Tuesday he had voted for Flanagan citing affordability and housing as two of the biggest issues on his mind when he went to cast his vote.
“You know, prices in the country is going crazy. Everything is just getting outrageous, you know, price wise,” Good Man told
ICT.
“Housing is a big issue here in Minneapolis and around the country.”
Good Man said he would love to see Flanagan in office and has known her since 2020, running into her at powwows and other places in Minneapolis
“Let’s get her into the Senate,” he said. “She has a great love for our people, that’s what I like. She’s very confident in her ability. You could just see that the way she’s generally a good person.”
Another voter, Kaiana Martinez, Ho-Chunk, wore her red “I voted” sticker recalling the names of who she voted for in Minnesota, including Flanagan.
The 24-year-old voted for Flanagan because of her stance of placing “people over big companies” when it comes to donations, she said. She also liked how Flanagan was out in the communities during her campaign and said that’s something she likes to see in a candidate.
“In my youth it was really so easy to see people like you, like Obama, AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic U.S. House member from New York). And having all of these people of color, even (New York Mayor Zohran) Mamdani right now,” she said. “I think it’ll bring people hope that there can be change in any community, any jurisdiction. That maybe she [Flanagan] will inspire other kids hopefully … It’ll make people see that their voice is being heard and that their votes count. I really do encourage everyone to vote because that is our voice. If we want change, you have to go vote.”
