Peggy Flanagan | BernieCrats.com

Biography

Peggy Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe and was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. She grew up in a working-class family and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2002 with degrees in American Indian Studies and Child Psychology. She began her career as a community organizer and advocate, working with children and families across the state before entering politics.

Flanagan was elected to the Minnesota State House in 2014, representing a district in the western Twin Cities suburbs. She built a reputation as a fierce advocate for Native American rights, children's health, and early childhood education. She was chosen as Tim Walz's running mate when he ran for governor in 2018, and they won — making Flanagan the first Native American woman elected Lieutenant Governor in the United States and the highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office in American history.

As Lt. Governor under Walz, Flanagan has been central to Minnesota's signature progressive achievements: a $20 statewide minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, free school meals for all children, and expanded reproductive rights. She is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and has been a tireless advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and tribal rights throughout her career. She accepts no corporate PAC money.

She is running to succeed retiring Senator Tina Smith, which would make her the first Native American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate — a historic milestone. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, and Ro Khanna have all endorsed her. She faces Rep. Angie Craig in the August 11 Democratic primary.

2026 Senate Campaign

Flanagan entered the race for Minnesota's open Senate seat in February 2025, when Sen. Tina Smith announced her retirement. She was the first major candidate in and quickly consolidated progressive support, winning the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) Party's state convention endorsement by acclamation in May 2026 after Rep. Angie Craig chose to bypass the convention.

Bernie Sanders headlined a rally for Flanagan at First Avenue in Minneapolis in July 2026 — a venue made famous by Prince — alongside Ilhan Omar and Keith Ellison, underscoring the breadth of progressive support behind her campaign. 'Minnesotans are tired of Democrats capitulating to Republicans,' she told delegates. 'They deserve a fighter representing them in D.C.'

If elected, Flanagan would be the first Native American woman in U.S. Senate history. Her platform includes Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, paid family leave, free school meals nationally, and protecting Indigenous sovereignty. The race is rated Lean Democratic for the general election.