Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on Tuesday captured the Democratic nomination for Senate in the Minnesota primary election, CBS News projects. It was the latest victory for a progressive over the party’s moderate wing.
Flanagan was endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL Party) at its state convention in May and took on Rep. Angie Craig in the primary.
Flanagan won with a pledge to fight the influence of corporations and confront President Trump.
Michele Tafoya was the projected winner in Minnesota’s Republican Senate primary and will meet Flanagan in the midterm election in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
“As your next senator, here are the things that I’m ready to throw down for,” Flanagan said to supporters on Tuesday night. “Ending the despicable priorities of an administration that hands out tax breaks to billionaires, builds gilded ballrooms and spends billions on bombs while screwing over working people. Truly affordable housing so that people can pay their rent and young people can buy their first home before they’re middle-aged.”
She also discussed supporting farmers and reforming healthcare by eliminating prior authorization.
Flanagan is the country’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office and a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.
Smith endorsed Flanagan to succeed her early in May.
Craig previously said that she would endorse and campaign for Flanagan if she lost the primary.
See full results for the Minnesota primary on WCCO’s results page.
