Flanagan outlines priorities for her new role in Washington

Minnesota’s lieutenant governor won a decisive victory last week in the race for a rare open U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota. Peggy Flanagan is joining a freshman class of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., which will give the Democrats significant majorities in both the House and Senate next year.

MPR News host Clay Masters talked with Sen.-elect Flanagan about her transition to the nation’s Capitol.

The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity. Click the audio player above to listen to the conversation.

You're in Washington now for new member orientation. You've been part of a legislative body before, but what's one thing that just feels different to you about this one?

Well, I'll say being part of the the United States Senate, coming in with a class full of new voices, it's pretty incredible. And a lot of these individuals are people that I have built relationships with. We certainly have been on the campaign trail at the same time, and I'm especially excited to work with Juliana Stratton — who's my fellow lieutenant governor, coming out of the the state of Illinois.

But everyone understands the urgency of of this moment and feels as though we are closer to it just because we just got off the trail and have been having conversations with people who have been most impacted by this administration, and certainly expect us to get to work quickly when we're sworn in on Jan. 3.

Your new colleague, Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, from Michigan, said this morning on Morning Edition that Democrats need to ‘drop the decorum and treat the president as the unserious fool that he is.’ Do you agree?

I would say that we have to be very clear about what it is we're fighting for and who we're fighting for. Certainly, I heard from Minnesotans that they have expectations that we are going to help them afford the lives they want to live. That is about making sure that much of the harm that has been done, that we've got solutions to tackle it. I think rolling back the cuts to Medicaid and to SNAP should be at the top of our list.

But I also want to be clear: I'm not going to underestimate this. The Trump administration, we've seen in real time what they are capable of here in in Minnesota, the chaos and cruelty during Operation Metro Surge. By the way, ICE is still here; it just looks a little different, and the impacts on people's ability to afford their lives.

From the high cost of diesel or the high cost of simply buying groceries, those are the places that that people expect us to to get to work. And I'm eager to hit the ground running.

You kind of classified the president as a bully many times on the campaign trail. Is there going to be some bullying from the U.S. Senate with the Democratic majority?

I think people want us to be fighters, and you know that I think is the the mandate for us. It is again to fight to roll back those cuts to Medicaid and to SNAP. It is to make sure that we are bringing this endless war to an end, and it's fighting for things like Medicare for all, and on the way banning prior authorization, raising the minimum wage, making sure that farmers can fix their own damn equipment and holding these folks accountable.

The fact that Alex Pretti’s family has had to call for evidence to be shared with investigators here in Minnesota, and [the family of] Renee Good has had to sue the federal government, you know that kind of accountability is something that I heard loud and clear. Minnesotans expect, and that's what we're fighting for.

Some of your new class of senators in your party don't share those same ideas. Is part of your job changing the minds of your Democratic Senate colleagues?

Well, Clay, I'm an organizer. You know, my job title might change, but at the core, that's who I am, and I'm a relationship builder.

That's what I think is so exciting: being one of 100 [senators]. You have the opportunity to really do that. To have cups of coffee with folks, right? To walk and talk as we're headed to committee hearings, and you know that's really the opportunity here.

What I know is that we are all aligned on lowering costs for folks, working to end this war, and make sure that healthcare is available and affordable for people. That's a pretty good place to start. So I am hopeful about what possible and regardless of which part of the tent we are coming from. I am clear that there's more opportunity for us to to work together than not. And I'm also clear that I will never throw any community under the bus when it is politically expedient. That is a value that I hold that I will continue to hold in the United States Senate.

On the Republican side, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer was reelected as the party whip and addressed your party saying, ‘You will regret ever putting your name on a ballot. House Republicans will hold each and every Democrat accountable for every vote cast, every committee hearing held, and every sentence set on MSDNC.’ Sen.-elect Flanagan, any reaction?

What a joke. Give me a break. I can't even begin to tell you how much Tom Emmer has misread this moment. If that is what he is taking away from this election, OK. The vitriol, the tones, and so you know he can yell into the microphone all he wants, but I am very clear what Minnesotans are asking for. They are asking us to lower their costs, to end this war, and to make sure, that they can afford the lives they want to live, and that this administration that he is cozied up to is held accountable. That's what we're going to do.

Does that set the tone for the relationship that the Democrats and the Republicans will be having in Congress?

I mean, I hope not, because I am clear, again, as a relationship builder. There are places and spaces where we can work together, but you know, when you come in punching people in the face, I think that's a an interesting strategy, and I use that in the most Minnesotan way possible.

You know, people want change. Tom Emmer has been there for a very long time, and apparently thinks it's a memo. So we're going to work on behalf of the people of of Minnesota to help them lower their costs, afford the lives they want to live and take on the corruption of this this presidential administration, and we've got a lot of work to do, and I'm eager to do it.

Six years from now, when Minnesotans are deciding whether you've earned another term, what do you hope they'll be able to point to and say?

Well, I hope that they say Peggy Flanagan is one of us. We know her, and we know that she fights for us, and that they know that their healthcare is more accessible and affordable. They see their wages increase, and that they feel as though you know they've got a fighter and someone who's on their side, and they know that she's beholden to them, to Minnesotans, and not to corporate PACs, or to folks at the very top. But they know how hard I work and that I deliver on their behalf.

MPR News has reached out to Republican minority whip Rep. Tom Emmer for an interview, but has not heard back. The invitation remains open.

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