Angie Craig (D), Peggy Flanagan (D), and four other candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Minnesota on August 11, 2026. As of June 2026, Craig and Flanagan led in endorsements, fundraising, and local media attention.
Incumbent Tina Smith (D) is not running for re-election. Smith endorsed Flanagan.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota endorsed Flanagan. Craig did not seek the party's nomination. In May 2026, the Minnesota Reformer's Michelle Griffith said, "A year ago, Craig was a formidable front-runner for the Senate seat, but she’d long positioned herself as hawkish on border security and voted for the Laken Riley Act. ... Flanagan has sharply criticized Craig’s Laken Riley vote, and on Saturday highlighted the vote as a key distinction between her and Craig." MinnPost's Ana Radelat said, "Craig has made the calculus that aggressively shifting her efforts to a different, much larger pool of Democratic voters who may be more open to her pragmatic type of politics – those who will cast ballots in August’s primary – will reinvigorate her campaign."
Craig was elected to the U.S. House in 2018. She earlier worked as a newspaper reporter and as head of corporate relations at a manufacturing firm. In a campaign ad, she said, "I know what it's like to be knocked down and counted out – to be the underdog. ... No one gave me much of a chance to win a Republican congressional seat, either." U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (D) endorsed Craig.
Flanagan was elected lieutenant governor on a ticket with Tim Walz (D) in 2018. She served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019 and on the Minneapolis School Board from 2005 to 2009 and again in 2010. In a campaign ad, she said, "We need leaders who actually know how regular people live and have the political courage to actually help them. Congress lowering the price of 10 prescription drugs is great, but why not make Big Pharma lower the price for all of them?" U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) endorsed Flanagan.
Also running in the primary are Kurt Michael Anderson (D), George Kalberer (D), Peter Murgic (D), and Billy Nord (D).
As of June 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Likely Democratic. The last Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota was Norm Coleman (R) in 2002. In 2024, Kamala Harris (D) defeated Donald Trump (R) 50.9%–46.7% in the presidential election in Minnesota and Amy Klobuchar (D) defeated Royce White (R) 56.2%–40.5% in the senatorial election.
