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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Peggy Flanagan Defeats Angie Craig, Will Face Michele Tafoya for Minnesota’s Open U.S. Senate Seat
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota’s DFL Senate primary while Michele Tafoya secured the Republican nomination, establishing a consequential November contest to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.
SAINT PAUL, MN (August 12, 2026) Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in Tuesday’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary for the United States Senate, advancing to a November general election against Republican nominee Michele Tafoya.
Flanagan received 394,587 votes, or 58.9 percent, while Craig received 264,720 votes, or 39.5 percent, with approximately 92 percent of Minnesota precincts reporting in the latest results posted by the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Tafoya, a former television sports reporter, led a nine-candidate Republican field with 201,979 votes, or 52.5 percent. Adam Schwarze finished second with 91,749 votes, or 23.9 percent, while Royce White received approximately 11 percent.
The results remain unofficial until the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certifies the state and federal contests.
Immigration shaped the DFL contest
The Flanagan-Craig primary became one of Minnesota’s most closely watched political contests after Smith announced that she would not seek another term.
Both candidates criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but Flanagan repeatedly challenged Craig over her congressional vote for the Laken Riley Act, which expanded federal detention authority involving some immigrants accused of crimes.
Craig later said she regretted supporting the law. Flanagan argued that the vote reflected a broader difference between the candidates over how Democrats should respond to the administration’s immigration agenda.
Craig conceded the race and endorsed Flanagan, clearing the way for Democrats to concentrate on the November contest.
Potentially historic candidacy
Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and has served as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2019. She became the country’s highest-ranking Native American woman elected to executive office when she and Gov. Tim Walz first took office.
If elected in November, she would become the first Native American woman to serve in the United States Senate.
Tafoya enters the general election after defeating several candidates with previous statewide campaigns or party support. Her campaign has emphasized government spending, public safety, immigration and fraud involving publicly funded Minnesota programs.
The November winner will succeed Smith and assume one of Minnesota’s two Senate seats. The contest will also help determine partisan control of the Senate during the second half of President Donald Trump’s term.
Unofficial election results:
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