Progressive vs. moderate showdown for Senate seat tops Minnesota primaries

Senate, governor and House races are on the ballot.

Another Midwestern moderate versus progressive showdown will play out Tuesday in Minnesota, where Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are competing to replace Sen. Tina Smith.

Flanagan has the backing of national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Smith, who is retiring.

Craig has the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top local leaders like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is not running for reelection , has notably not endorsed in the race.

This year's midterm election cycle has seen the ascendency of progressive and democratic socialist candidates that has prompted debate among Democrats about whether they can win in a general election and what that means for the party's future. Five House Democratic incumbents have lost their primaries to progressive challengers this year.

Minnesota became the center of outrage over President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies earlier this year when federal immigration agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in separate incidents during Operation Metro Surge. Both Craig and Flanagan have made pushes for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to face legal accountability central to their pitch.

No agents have been charged in the shootings of Pretti and Good and the Hennepin County Attorney's office continues its investigation. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott has said his agency is investigating the shootings.

Flanagan has harshly attacked Craig for her vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act , a Trump-backed immigration bill that expands the authorization for the federal government to detain undocumented immigrants charged with crimes. Craig says she regrets that vote.

Like in neighboring Michigan, the issue of support for Israel has also animated the race. Craig has received backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in previous races and appears on its pro-Israel candidate portal, though she says she is not taking its money in this race. Flanagan opposes all offensive weapon sales to Israel and has called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide."

Another major issue in the race are the investigations into alleged widespread fraud in the states social services programs that have plagued Walz's tenure and, by extension, Flanagan's. Craig has blamed Flanagan for a lack of oversight and accountability, allegations that Flanagan rejects.

No Republican has won a Senate election in Minnesota since 2002. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won her 2024 race against former NBA player Royce White by 16 points. White is running again this year but will face an uphill battle against NRSC-backed former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.

Governor's race

In the governor's race, Klobuchar appears poised to clinch the Democratic nomination to succeed Walz. If she wins in November, Walz would appoint a temporary replacement before a special election would be held to fill the term.

On the Republican side, Trump endorsed former MyPillow CEO and prominent election-denier Mike Lindell. He faces current Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and the businessman Kendall Qualls, who is endorsed by the state Republican Party.

House races

Craig's Senate candidacy creates an opening in the Second Congressional District, which Republicans have long wanted to flip.

The Democratic primary is a hotly contested three-way race between state legislators: flight attendant Kaela Berg, doctor Matt Klein and lawyer Matt Little.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Eric Pratt is running unopposed.

In Minnesota's 1st District, Democrats hope a blue wave could help them oust incumbent Rep. Brad Finstad in a district once held by Walz. The top Democratic candidate is math teacher Jake Johnson, who is a top recruit for Democrats' Red to Blue program.

And one Democrat is hoping a little bit of reality TV star power will help him unseat Rep. Pete Stauber in the deep red Minnesota 8th along the northern border. Actor, businessman and former "Summer House" star Luke Gulbranson is running against Trina Swanson, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's pick in that district.

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