Peggy Flanagan, who has been Minnesota's lieutenant governor since 2019 and belongs to the DFL, is the Democratic nominee for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat in 2026.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Peggy Flanagan.
Live News
Recent media coverage for Peggy Flanagan.
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Flanagan v. Tafoya: What to know about the U.S. Senate race
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Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)
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The five biggest takeaways from the MN Poll
Good morning! It’s a Minnesota Poll special edition. We’re digging into the numbers behind the headlines, including what voters think about election security and why so many worry AI could destroy humanity.
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New KSTP/SurveyUSA poll shows tight races for Minnesota statewide offices
The race for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat remains statistically tied, according to the latest survey.
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Forest Lake parents furious over school video featuring Flanagan
With Election Day just weeks away, some Minnesota high school seniors are preparing to cast their first ballots.
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Michele Tafoya closes the gap with Flanagan in Minnesota Senate race
"The more that Minnesotans learn about me and my opponent and see what my opponent has failed to do over the last eight years alongside [Democratic Gov.] Tim Walz, they're understanding Minnesota needs change.
Fox NewsTafoya
More coverage 4
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Trump Endorses Tafoya, Flanagan Up 4 Points In New Poll
Peggy Flanagan currently leads the Minnesota U.S. Senate race, according to a Star Tribune-KARE 11 poll, 47% to 43% over Republican Michele Tafoya, with 9% undecided (800 likely voters; poll conducted Oct 5–7; MOE…
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Minnesota doctors weigh in on U.S. Senate race
A group of Minnesota physicians who spoke at a virtual news conference are endorsing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan and criticizing Republican Michele Tafoya.
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Minnesota’s sleepy Senate race gets a burst of activity
The article discusses Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, noting a late surge in activity as both candidates ramp up campaigning in greater Minnesota.
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As Senate race tightens, Flanagan and Tafoya make their final pitches
Peggy Flanagan (D) and Michele Tafoya (R) are in a tightening Minnesota U.S. Senate race, with Tafoya criticizing Flanagan over fraud-related allegations.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- September 22, 1979
- Birthplace
- St. Louis Park, Minnesota
- Education
- St. Louis Park High School
University of Minnesota (bachelor's degree, child psychology)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Peggy Flanagan (Ojibwe name Gizhiiwewidamookwe) was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, on September 22, 1979, and grew up in that inner-ring Minneapolis suburb, where her mother, a DFL activist, raised her in a single-parent household.
Her father, Marvin Manypenny, was an activist for American Indian land rights. Her ancestry is Irish and Ojibwe, and she holds citizenship in the White Earth Nation.
After St. Louis Park High School she completed a child psychology degree, with a minor in American Indian studies, at the University of Minnesota in 2002.
During college she worked on Senator Paul Wellstone's campaign and organized within the urban Native American community; she later did outreach for the Minnesota Council of Churches, trained organizers at Wellstone Action and led Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota as executive director.
Career
Flanagan was elected to the Minneapolis Public Schools board in 2004 and served from 2005 to 2009, with a later appointment from 2010 to 2011.
As a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she won a special election to the Minnesota House of Representatives on November 3, 2015, and served until 2019, co-founding the House Native American Caucus in 2017. She addressed the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
As Tim Walz's running mate she was elected lieutenant governor in 2018, taking office in January 2019 as the first woman of color to win statewide office in Minnesota; the ticket was reelected in 2022.
She was elected chair of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association in 2023 and co-led the 2024 Democratic National Convention as one of its four chairs.
2026 race
Democratic Senator Tina Smith chose to retire, leaving the seat open, and Flanagan announced her candidacy on February 13, 2025. Her main rival for the nomination was U.S. Representative Angie Craig, who withdrew from the party endorsement process on May 27, 2026.
Flanagan received the DFL endorsement by acclamation at the state convention on May 30 and won the primary on August 11, 2026, with 59% of the vote. Her opponent in the November 3 general election is Republican Michele Tafoya, a former journalist.