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Democrats are facing a primary muddle across the country in must-win Senate races such as Texas, Michigan, and Maine. Minnesota’s open seat is different — as Peggy Flanagan knows.
The lieutenant governor is campaigning as the pugnacious, liberal choice in her matchup against Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., a more centrist Democrat who has won tough House races. Craig is preferred by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
But Flanagan has amassed seven endorsements from sitting senators, revealing an unusual level of internal disagreement over what type of senator should replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. It’s an important primary for the Democratic Party, but not for control of the Senate; Republicans are showing little interest in contesting the seat so far.
“This seat is going to stay in the hands of the Democrats,” the lieutenant governor told Semafor this week on a visit to Washington. “This is really an opportunity to elect a progressive fighter.”
Things are heating up: Flanagan dissed Craig over her vote for this year’s Laken Riley immigration law and said voters “are looking for people who are bold and audacious and are sick of politicians who just nibble around the edge.”
Antoine Givens, a spokesperson for Craig’s campaign, said that “Minnesotans want a Senator who shows up, is honest, and stands up to special interests. Peggy Flanagan has done none of those things.” A Flanagan spokesperson responded by emphasizing her decision not to accept corporate PAC money and touting her campaign schedule across the state.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The View From peggy flanagan
Burgess Everett: How does this race reflect on the Democratic Party as a whole?
Peggy Flanagan: This race is about the same tension and what’s facing the Democratic Party overall. Do we want institutional, corporate Democrats, or do we want progressive fighters who’ve got a track record delivering for working families?
There’s been a lot of talk among Democrats about getting rid of the filibuster; it’s also really the only way to stop President Donald Trump’s agenda. What should happen with it?
We have to use every tool possible to throw a wrench in the gears. As you know, Donald Trump is ransacking our government for his own financial gain. And so I think it needs to be there for now, and we got to work our butts off and pick up majorities so that we can deliver for folks on the things that they want us to fight for.
Do you think Democrats need new leadership?
People are ready, overall, for folks who are going to fight for them, who are going to show up, who are no longer going to just cater to the status quo.
So what about Chuck Schumer?
I think Chuck Schumer is just not that into me. And I feel the same way about Chuck Schumer that he feels about me, which is uncommitted.
A lot of Democrats were disappointed they didn’t actually get a health care deal out of the shutdown fight. Do you think Democrats should have another fight in January if the expiring health care subsidies aren’t extended?
It feels like we just capitulated in a moment that it wasn’t time yet. We should have waited to see what else could happen. So I think people were with us, and finally they were like, ‘Democrats are in the fight. They’re throwing down for us, they’re ready.’ And then [Democrats] just walked away. And that I think is hard. And it’s hard as someone who’s running to be like, ‘now we have to rebuild this trust with folks again.’ So I hope that if we don’t get to where we need to be with the ACA, that they throw down.