A look at the growing field of candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat
Rep. Angie Craig, who represents Minnesota 2nd Congressional District, stands for a portrait at the MPR News headquarters in St. Paul on Oct. 3, 2024.
Tim Evans for MPR News file
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U.S. Rep. Angie Craig announced Tuesday she will skip a run for a fifth term and instead throw her hat into the race for U.S. Senate.
Craig is among a few prominent DFL candidates hoping to succeed U.S. Sen. Tina Smith in 2026. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen have also joined the race.
MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson joined Minnesota Now to discuss the news and the state of the race.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: It's our top story this afternoon. US Representative Angie Craig will skip a run for a fifth term, and instead, throw her hat into the race for US Senate. It's the seat Tina Smith will give up after her term comes to a close, and the field for the 2026 race is filling up.
Our politics reporter, Dana Ferguson, joins us now to discuss the news and the state of this race. Thank you for being here, Dana.
DANA FERGUSON: You're welcome, Nina.
NINA MOINI: So what is Representative Craig's message that she wants voters to hear as she enters the race?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah, first, I should note that Craig is giving up what has become a pretty safe House seat and a chance to lead a House committee to make this run, so it's a big step for her. She's saying that she wants to stand up to President Donald Trump's administration and work to block policy changes that she says are a bad fit for Minnesota. Here's what Craig told MPR's Morning Edition earlier today.
ANGIE CRAIG: I'm going to be in the middle of the fight against Medicaid cuts in the middle of the fight to preserve Social Security in our country. In the middle of the fight to take on-- a lot of the chaos we're seeing, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are literally trying to burn our government to the ground.
DANA FERGUSON: It's not an unusual message for a DFLer. The two other candidates on the DFL side say they're also very motivated by Trump's actions. Craig also says she's got a strong sense of grit growing up with a single mom and living in a mobile home. She says she's often been counted out but has proven that she's resilient.
NINA MOINI: And, Dana, can you talk more about the field on the DFL side and where Craig fits in.
DANA FERGUSON: Sure the two other DFLers who have announced they're running are Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and former Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen. I'd say that Craig skews more moderate than both. She's bucked her party on policies dealing with policing and immigration enforcement, and she's presented herself in previous campaigns as someone who's politically purple, which is in line with the swingy district that she represents.
NINA MOINI: Sure. So what are, with all that in mind, advantages that Craig has and maybe some of her liabilities?
DANA FERGUSON: She's coming into this race with a considerable cash advantage. She's got about a million dollars in the bank, that's about three times what Flanagan raised and four times what Lopez Franzen had available as of about April 1. Craig has represented the second district since 2018, and has gained attention through several tough runs for the seat.
From a statewide perspective, it could help her that she's taken a more moderate approach during her time in Congress, but it could complicate her bid for the DFL endorsement because delegates might be looking for someone who's toed the party line, not broken with it. And one other asset, Craig, is the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, so she'll be able to play that up in greater Minnesota.
NINA MOINI: Did Craig say if she's planning to press ahead to a primary if the DFL convention backs another candidate next spring?
DANA FERGUSON: She says she's hoping to get the endorsement, but she thinks it should be up to Democrats across the state to pick a nominee. So she's planning to go to a primary if things don't go her way in the endorsement process, which, as you mentioned, is going to happen next spring. That's also true with Flanagan and Lopez Franzen, so a possible primary would take place in August.
NINA MOINI: All right. With all this in mind, and it's still really early, is there a clear favorite that you see here?
DANA FERGUSON: You know not really, Nina. Craig has the financial edge, but Flanagan has been scooping up major endorsements. Flanagan was on Politics Friday just last week, and said she welcomes some competition. She also played up her Minnesota roots, a contrast to the other two who moved here a little bit later in life.
PEGGY FLANAGAN: I think there is an opportunity for someone who's been born and raised in Minnesota, someone who knows what it's like to experience financial hardship to be able to run and bring that experience to Washington.
NINA MOINI: All right, Dana, what about Republicans, who's running on the GOP side.
DANA FERGUSON: Retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and 2024 GOP Senate nominee Royce White are both running on the Republican side. Several others in the GOP are also mulling campaigns too.
NINA MOINI: Do you think there will be much national attention on this race.
DANA FERGUSON: I do. There likely will be, since this seat hasn't been open in such a long time. But the bigger focus for national groups could be on the seat that Craig is leaving.
That second congressional district seat is viewed as a lean Democratic or potential toss up. The NRCC, National Republican Congressional Committee has eyes on that seat, and they say they're going to work to flip it. As Craig steps aside, we'll likely have a number of state lawmakers or former political candidates giving it a look, too.
NINA MOINI: All right, Dana Ferguson, thanks so much for the update.
DANA FERGUSON: Any time, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That, again, was MPR politics reporter Dana Ferguson.
Our politics reporter, Dana Ferguson, joins us now to discuss the news and the state of this race. Thank you for being here, Dana.
DANA FERGUSON: You're welcome, Nina.
NINA MOINI: So what is Representative Craig's message that she wants voters to hear as she enters the race?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah, first, I should note that Craig is giving up what has become a pretty safe House seat and a chance to lead a House committee to make this run, so it's a big step for her. She's saying that she wants to stand up to President Donald Trump's administration and work to block policy changes that she says are a bad fit for Minnesota. Here's what Craig told MPR's Morning Edition earlier today.
ANGIE CRAIG: I'm going to be in the middle of the fight against Medicaid cuts in the middle of the fight to preserve Social Security in our country. In the middle of the fight to take on-- a lot of the chaos we're seeing, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are literally trying to burn our government to the ground.
DANA FERGUSON: It's not an unusual message for a DFLer. The two other candidates on the DFL side say they're also very motivated by Trump's actions. Craig also says she's got a strong sense of grit growing up with a single mom and living in a mobile home. She says she's often been counted out but has proven that she's resilient.
NINA MOINI: And, Dana, can you talk more about the field on the DFL side and where Craig fits in.
DANA FERGUSON: Sure the two other DFLers who have announced they're running are Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and former Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen. I'd say that Craig skews more moderate than both. She's bucked her party on policies dealing with policing and immigration enforcement, and she's presented herself in previous campaigns as someone who's politically purple, which is in line with the swingy district that she represents.
NINA MOINI: Sure. So what are, with all that in mind, advantages that Craig has and maybe some of her liabilities?
DANA FERGUSON: She's coming into this race with a considerable cash advantage. She's got about a million dollars in the bank, that's about three times what Flanagan raised and four times what Lopez Franzen had available as of about April 1. Craig has represented the second district since 2018, and has gained attention through several tough runs for the seat.
From a statewide perspective, it could help her that she's taken a more moderate approach during her time in Congress, but it could complicate her bid for the DFL endorsement because delegates might be looking for someone who's toed the party line, not broken with it. And one other asset, Craig, is the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, so she'll be able to play that up in greater Minnesota.
NINA MOINI: Did Craig say if she's planning to press ahead to a primary if the DFL convention backs another candidate next spring?
DANA FERGUSON: She says she's hoping to get the endorsement, but she thinks it should be up to Democrats across the state to pick a nominee. So she's planning to go to a primary if things don't go her way in the endorsement process, which, as you mentioned, is going to happen next spring. That's also true with Flanagan and Lopez Franzen, so a possible primary would take place in August.
NINA MOINI: All right. With all this in mind, and it's still really early, is there a clear favorite that you see here?
DANA FERGUSON: You know not really, Nina. Craig has the financial edge, but Flanagan has been scooping up major endorsements. Flanagan was on Politics Friday just last week, and said she welcomes some competition. She also played up her Minnesota roots, a contrast to the other two who moved here a little bit later in life.
PEGGY FLANAGAN: I think there is an opportunity for someone who's been born and raised in Minnesota, someone who knows what it's like to experience financial hardship to be able to run and bring that experience to Washington.
NINA MOINI: All right, Dana, what about Republicans, who's running on the GOP side.
DANA FERGUSON: Retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and 2024 GOP Senate nominee Royce White are both running on the Republican side. Several others in the GOP are also mulling campaigns too.
NINA MOINI: Do you think there will be much national attention on this race.
DANA FERGUSON: I do. There likely will be, since this seat hasn't been open in such a long time. But the bigger focus for national groups could be on the seat that Craig is leaving.
That second congressional district seat is viewed as a lean Democratic or potential toss up. The NRCC, National Republican Congressional Committee has eyes on that seat, and they say they're going to work to flip it. As Craig steps aside, we'll likely have a number of state lawmakers or former political candidates giving it a look, too.
NINA MOINI: All right, Dana Ferguson, thanks so much for the update.
DANA FERGUSON: Any time, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That, again, was MPR politics reporter Dana Ferguson.
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