A nominee of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, she will be facing Republican candidate Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster. As per her campaign website, if elected, she’ll be the first Native American woman to ever serve in the US Senate.
Margaret “Peggy” Flanagan has emerged as a prominent leader in the state of Minnesota as she campaigns for Minnesota’s US Senate seat in the November 2026 midterm elections.
Flanagan began her political career as a member of the Minneapolis Board of Education, serving from 2005 to 2009. She later got elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2015. During her tenure, she worked on child care access and affordability and helped establish the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus in 2017. Her 2026 campaign has focused on issues such as healthcare, childcare, jobs and the rising cost of living.
After getting elected as the 50th lieutenant governor of Minnesota, Flanagan worked on initiatives related to paid family and medical leave, child care, affordable housing and support for Indigenous communities. Peggy Flanagan supports Medicare for All as well as expanding access to affordable healthcare. Her proposals include lowering prescription drug costs, expanding Medicare and Medicaid coverage for dental, vision and hearing care. She advocates for improving access to mental healthcare, along with protecting access to abortion for women. Apart from healthcare, she extends her support to fully funded special education, expanding student loan forgiveness for eligible public sector workers and investing in public schools. During her tenure as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, she supported the state’s universal school meals program which provides free school meals to students. As a member of the White Earth Band, Flanagan has made Indigenous rights a central part of her campaign. She supports enforcing federal treaty obligations, increasing funding for the Indian Health Service and establishing a permanent federal office to address violence against Indigenous women. During her tenure as a lieutenant governor, she helped advance the creation of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office in order to support affected families. During her Democratic primary campaign, she criticized Rep. Angie Craig’s vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, calling it a matter of judgment. Flanagan has argued that federal immigration operations have caused trauma in Minnesota communities, especially among children and immigrant families. Her campaign also includes the protection of American workers and businesses from unfair foreign trade practices, especially from China . As a lieutenant governor, she even participated in trade missions in order to promote Minnesota’s economy and agricultural exports. She has opposed President Trump’s tariffs, arguing that they increase costs for families and businesses. She called for reversing the damage caused by the tariffs and protecting local agricultural export markets. Flanagan has called for an end to the US Iran conflict, along with criticizing the financial burden it has placed on American taxpayers. In her campaign message, she specifically highlighted the high cost of gas, diesel and fertilizer, saying that families and farmers are struggling to afford these basic commodities. After serving as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan is now seeking a seat in the US Senate. At the same time, she has faced questions over the state’s social services scandal and criticism over other controversies. As the Senate race continues, her record in state government will prove to be important to her campaign.
Flanagan has sharply criticised President Trump ’s immigration enforcement policies, saying the government needs to “rip ICE apart”. She even called it “illegal”, arguing that Americans are overburdened with increasing economic costs.
