Minnesota DFL endorses Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate seat

The state DFL has endorsed U.S. Senate candidate and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the congressional seat. 

Delegates at the Minnesota DFL convention in Rochester endorsed Flanagan on Saturday for the spot currently held by Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. 

"I am deeply honored to earn the DFL endorsement and grateful to every delegate, volunteer, organizer, and Minnesotan who helped us build the movement that led to this moment," Flanagan said. "This process matters because it's one of the few places in politics where grassroots organizing matters more than money. At a moment when so many people are feeling frustrated, exhausted, and left behind, nearly 40,000 Minnesotans chose to participate because it was one more way to show up for their community and make their voices heard. Together, we're going to take on corporate power, stand up for working people, and defeat Donald Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot."

Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who is also running for the seat, said on social media Wednesday that she would forego the DFL convention.

"The DFL endorsement process just doesn't reflect the full scope of the party that we are and the purple state that we have become," Craig said in a video attached to the social media post.

Craig and Flanagan will face off in the Democratic primary on Aug. 11.

On the Republican side, Adam Schwarze, a former Marine, won the Minnesota GOP endorsement for U.S. Senate on Friday, at their convention in Duluth.

Smith, who has held the congressional seat since 2018, said in February 2025 that she would not run for reelection. She was first appointed to the position after former Sen. Al Franken resigned due to allegations of sexual harassment. 

Minnesota has not had an open Senate seat since 2008. That year, the Norm Coleman-Al Franken election was one of the closest races in the country, with Coleman losing by just 300 votes. 

Minnesota Democratic gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was endorsed for the state's top seat at the convention early Saturday. She announced earlier in the day that former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer will serve as her lieutenant governor running mate. 

NOTE: The attached video first aired on Jan. 4.