Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic Senate primary with 59.0% of the vote, with 98% of precincts reporting, according to early results. Angie Craig secured 39.4%, finishing second.
Flanagan defeated six other candidates in the primary. Her victory was backed by top progressives, including endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Craig, first elected to Congress in 2018, had received $710,000 in donations from the group Americans Strengthening the US-Israel Partnership (AIPAC), according to trackaipac.com. Flanagan vowed not to take any money from AIPAC during her campaign.
Craig voted for the Laken Riley Act, a federal law requiring immigration detention for undocumented immigrants accused of local crimes, and later said she regretted her vote in March. The primary was shaped by anger over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, including Operation Metro Surge, which caused devastation in Minnesota, with two deaths and hundreds of deportations, according to reports.
Craig also said of Flanagan, 'It's pissing me off.' Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, would become the first Native American woman in the Senate if she wins.
Republican Nomination and General Election
Michele Tafoya, a former longtime NBC Sports reporter and NFL sideline reporter, won the Republican Senate nomination with 52% of the vote after 99% of ballots were counted, beating eight other candidates. Tafoya told Fox News Digital that she will stand up against Democrat socialism, calling it a dangerous lurch.
She also said there is a home for voters seeking common sense, accountability for fraud, and lower crime rates, and that her campaign represents more than just conservatives. In an open letter to Minnesotans, Tafoya wrote she opposes taxpayer-funded abortions, supports conservative judges, and remains aligned with Trump. She supports the Dobbs decision and believes there should be reasonable access to abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Flanagan will face Tafoya in November to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith, who decided not to run again, saying she wanted to spend time with her grandkids and make way for new faces. Smith endorsed Flanagan. Minnesota has not elected a Republican statewide since 2006, and a Republican presidential candidate has not won the state since 1972.
