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Peggy Flanagan: From Minnesota lieutenant governor to 2026 US Senate candidate
Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s 50th lieutenant governor, will face Republican nominee Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, in the 2026 US Senate election.
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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. 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.
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. 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.
Early life, education and family
Born on September 22, 1979 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Flanagan was raised by a single mother. Coming from an Indigenous and Irish family, she is Ojibwe and a member of the White Earth Nation. Flanagan has frequently mentioned growing up in a low income household that relied on public assistance, Medicaid, food stamps and housing support. She attended St. Louis Park Public Schools and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in American Indian studies and child psychology.
Flanagan was married to Tim Hellendrung, whom she divorced around 2017. The couple had a daughter named Siobhan. Flanagan remarried Tom Weber in 2019. She currently lives in St. Louis Park in Minnesota.
Key policies and initiatives
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.
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Immigration, jobs, trade and tariff
Flanagan has sharply criticised President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, saying the government needs to “rip ICE apart”. 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.
Flanagan also backed an economic agenda that includes strengthening workers’ rights, expanding paid medical leave and making it easier for workers to negotiate fair wages and safe working conditions. Furthermore, she supports investments in clean energy, infrastructure and registered apprenticeships to create high paying jobs.
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.
Iran conflict and artificial intelligence
Flanagan has called for an end to the US Iran conflict, along with criticizing the financial burden it has placed on American taxpayers. She even called it “illegal”, arguing that Americans are overburdened with increasing economic costs. 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.
Peggy Flanagan has called for stronger regulation of artificial intelligence, warning that the technology could pose serious risks without enough safeguards. Additionally, she raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare decisions. On her campaign website, she opposed the use of AI in Medicare prior authorization, saying healthcare decisions should be made by medical professionals and not algorithms.
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Controversies surrounding Flanagan
Peggy Flanagan has faced criticism over a major scandal involving Minnesota’s social services programs that occurred during the administration of Governor Tim Walz. The scandal involves monetary fraud in programs meant to provide public assistance, including Medicaid funded services.
In June 2026, Flanagan criticised a political ad that showed an AI-generated image of her standing on a pile of cash. She accused North Star Dawn PAC of using a misleading image. The PAC is a group supporting her Democratic rival Angie Craig. They even denied her claims, while Craig’s spokesperson said she did not support the use of AI in political ads.
Additionally, in January 2026, journalist Cam Higby shared screenshots of an alleged Signal group chat used to discuss anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. He claimed that a participant using the name “Flan Southside” was Flanagan. However, she denied being part of the group.
Net worth and more
According to the Minnesota Reformer report dated September 3, 2026, Flanagan’s financial disclosure shows assets worth between $990,000 and $2.7 million. She reported earning $129,000 from the state of Minnesota in 2025 as lieutenant governor. Flanagan and her husband Tom also purchased a home in St. Louis Park worth $447,500 in 2023. However, these are not a confirmed estimate of her net worth.
After serving as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan is now seeking a seat in the US Senate. Her 2026 campaign has focused on issues such as healthcare, childcare, jobs and the rising cost of living. 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.
– By Tanisha Sharma
