Angie Craig walks back support for Laken Riley Act as immigration remains hot issue in race for U.S. Senate

There are only two months until the DFL party's nominating convention in Rochester, Minnesota. One of the most heated DFL races is for U.S. Senate, where two successful elected officials, Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, are running against each other for the seat.

One of the most heated issues remains immigration, where Craig has walked back her support for the Laken Riley Act.

Craig was one of 46 House Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act in January 2025. The act was passed in the aftermath of the murder of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student. The act mandates that undocumented workers be held in custody for theft-related crimes pending any criminal proceedings, even when there has not been a conviction. 

Earlier this month, Craig said she now regrets her vote for the act.

"I realized, standing in front of the Whipple detention center, looking at semi-automatic weapons, that voting to give Trump's ICE any additional authority was a mistake and I regret it," Craig said.

With the nominating convention just eight weeks away, polls that have come out show Flanagan in the lead. 

In mid-January, Impact Research did a poll that showed Flanagan at 45% and Craig at 42%; another poll by Public Policy Polling showed Flanagan up by 13%.

"I would rather be me in this race, because since I got into this race, my internal polling show that we gained 10 points on the lieutenant governor," Craig said.

In terms of cash on hand, Craig has a strong advantage with $3.8 million compared to $810,000 for Flanagan. 

"As you know, this was coming to light, of course, I expressed real concern. And do I think that more could have been done sooner? Absolutely. But now, I think, is this opportunity for us to move forward," Flanagan said when asked about massive fraud in federally funded state programs.

A lot of party insiders say that Flanagan has an edge in getting the party endorsement in late May, but Craig says even if she loses the endorsement, she will stay in the race until the Aug. 11 primary.

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