Sen. Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan over Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate race

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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (left) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) at the video shoot for Smith's endorsement. Photo courtesy of Flanagan's campaign. | Flanagan campaign





Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan over Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate race

The retiring senator is choosing a fellow progressive and lieutenant governor as her successor over moderate Rep. Angie Craig.


By Lisa Kashinsky02/02/2026 12:00 PM ESTUpdated: 02/02/2026 02:20 PM EST

Sen. Tina Smith is endorsing Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as her successor over Rep. Angie Craig, taking sides in a hotly contested primary to fill Smith’s Senate seat that’s been roiled in recent weeks by the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.

“Today, 3,000 federal agents are terrorizing our communities,” Smith said in a video announcing her pick that was shared first with POLITICO. “I know that right now there is no one that I trust more to stand with Minnesota than Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.”

Flanagan, in the video, called it an “honor” to have the retiring senator’s endorsement and pledged to “continue in her footsteps.”

“We’re going to push back against the status quo and send a progressive fighter to continue representing us in Washington, D.C.,” Flanagan said.

Smith’s endorsement comes a day before the state’s Democratic and Republican precinct caucuses, the first step in each party’s formal endorsement process.

In selecting Flanagan, Smith is elevating a fellow lieutenant governor and progressive over Craig, a moderate, for the seat she has held since 2018. Smith is the eighth sitting senator to endorse Flanagan, who also has the backing of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other members of the so-called Fight Club of progressive senators of which they are all a part. Former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who held the seat before Smith, also endorsed Flanagan............................