If Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are elected this fall, it could mark a significant milestone in U.S. history. Not only would a woman of color lead the country for the first time, but a Native woman would also govern a state for the first time.
Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor of Minnesota and a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is in line to become the state’s next governor should Walz ascend to the role of U.S. vice president. Flanagan's leadership has been closely observed by Indigenous communities in Minnesota and beyond, as she is seen as a proponent of policies that benefit Native Americans.
