Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, defeating Angie Craig by a margin of 59% to 39.4%, with 99% of votes reported, according to The Associated Press and NBC News. Flanagan will seek to replace retiring Democratic Senator Smith, who announced she would not seek reelection in February 2025, prompting Flanagan to enter the race.

The primary was largely framed as a contest between a moderate candidate, Angie Craig, and a far-left candidate, Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan held the official Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) endorsement and received support from figures including an independent Vermont senator. Craig was backed by Democratic establishment leaders such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Craig faced scrutiny over her past vote for the Laken Riley Act, while Flanagan emphasized her opposition to former President Donald Trump’s policies. Flanagan’s support for transgender issues also drew attention following the 2025 shooting at Minneapolis’ Annunciation Catholic School, where the suspect, who had identified as transgender, killed two children and wounded others.

In a BlueSky post, Flanagan responded to Democratic Minnesota Governor’s remarks by writing, “What he said!”

Additionally, in February 2023, just hours after being assaulted in her Washington, D.C., apartment, Angie Craig and 31 Democratic colleagues voted in favor of a resolution to block the D.C. [details incomplete].

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