Far-left Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan secured a decisive victory in Minnesota’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Tuesday night and immediately doubled down on her radical call to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The progressive lieutenant governor to Gov. Tim Walz framed the federal agency as a threat after two enforcement-related shootings earlier this year shook the state.
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“Now let’s talk about Donald Trump’s out of control ICE force,” Flanagan said during her victory speech Tuesday night.
“We need to rip ICE apart and stop them from terrorizing our communities. And I know this. I know that we can fix our broken immigration system, secure the border, and create a real pathway to citizenship that aligns with our values,” Flanagan declared.
Flanagan’s win over moderate Rep. Angie Craig delivered yet another blow to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s preferred candidates.
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The race became a clear proxy fight between the party’s progressive wing and its establishment wing, with Flanagan emerging as the latest insurgent to topple a Schumer-backed moderate.
The lieutenant governor has built her progressive credentials by supporting Medicare for All and opposing continued military assistance to Israel.
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She repeatedly attacked Craig for backing the Laken Riley Act and made ICE a central campaign target following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
Those stands won her endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and retiring Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who is seeking the governorship, stayed silent on the primary.
Craig, seen as the more electable moderate, drew support from Schumer and other party traditionalists. Republicans, however, are openly celebrating the outcome.
“Morale among Chuck Schumer’s establishment is at an all-time low, and Bernie Sanders’ socialist flank is filling the gap with candidates like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed,” Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital.
Meet Peggy Flanagan.
She just won the nomination for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota.
Yikes. pic.twitter.com/Xawskiabcu
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2026
Fundraising reflected the establishment’s preference. Craig collected nearly $13 million this cycle, while Flanagan brought in just under $7 million, according to Federal Election Commission data.
Sanders defended his ally on “Face the Nation.” “Peggy Flanagan is about bringing about real change, standing up to the big money interests,” Sanders told “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“There is a reason why the super PACs and the billionaires are flooding Minnesota with all kinds of money. Same thing as Michigan,” Sanders said.
GOP strategists view Flanagan through the same lens as Michigan’s Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who recently edged out another Schumer-backed moderate.
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They also possess ready-made attack lines: Flanagan served as Walz’s top deputy throughout Minnesota’s sprawling social-services fraud scandal.
That controversy ended Walz’s reelection hopes, yet it has not derailed Flanagan so far. Walz has declined to endorse in the Senate race.
Republicans are confident that former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, their preferred nominee, can flip the seat.
Flanagan’s comparatively weaker fundraising may also force Democrats to divert resources from other battlegrounds.
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“Minnesota and Michigan being in play was not on Chuck Schumer’s bingo card this cycle,” a GOP operative told Fox News Digital.
“It remains to be seen which battleground(s) Democrats will have to pull resources from to drag socialists like Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed across the finish line in November,” the GOP operative added.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., singled out the Minnesota contest as a bright spot.
“The one thing that gets me excited when I think about this election cycle on the map is Minnesota,” said Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). “I think Minnesota, we have a real shot with Michele Tafoya.”
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“What we know without question is, she is within a point of the lieutenant governor right now,” Scott said.
“So if we can continue to let her show the contrast between the two candidates, I think Michele Tafoya’s the kind of Republican that can win,” Scott added.
With Flanagan now the Democratic nominee, the general election offers Republicans a clear contrast between a hard-left progressive tied to state scandals and a mainstream conservative ready to contest Minnesota’s long Democratic hold on the Senate seat.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
