Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig announced Wednesday that she will not seek the DFL endorsement in her race for a U.S. Senate seat. Instead, Craig will head straight to the August primary election.
That announcement means Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Craig’s DFL primary opponent, is all but certain to win the DFL endorsement when Democrats gather in Rochester for their party convention this weekend.
At a Wednesday press conference, Craig said “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.”
In Minnesota, Republicans and Democrats routinely endorse candidates for office. Those endorsements, which are made by elected party delegates, function as a party stamp of approval but do not ultimately determine who will be a party’s nominee.
Instead, nominees are elected via the August primary election. Candidates who decide not to seek their party’s endorsement have often criticized the endorsement process for favoring a small number of delegates rather than a larger swath of the party.
Flanagan responded to Craig’s announcement in a video message, saying, “if you can’t show up and face your own party, then you’re not ready to face Republicans.”
In her video, Flanagan called herself “a child of the DFL” and said she is “deeply honored to seek the DFL’s endorsement, and I am honored that so many DFLers have signed up to be delegates for Team Peggy.”
The DFL primary between Flanagan and Craig has been particularly brutal with Flanagan repeatedly attacking Craig for voting for the Laken Riley Act, a law which requires ICE to take custody of illegal aliens charged with certain crimes.
Craig has since said she regrets her vote for the Laken Riley Act.
Additionally, Flanagan has managed to win the endorsements of major figures on the far-left including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Many left-wing members of the Minnesota Legislature have endorsed her as well.
However, Craig’s campaign has raised far more money than Flanagan’s according to recent campaign finance reports.
In the first quarter of 2026, Flanagan raised $1.35 million. As of March 31, Flanagan had $1.14 million in cash on hand. Meanwhile, Craig raised $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2026. She had $4.89 million in cash on hand at the end of March.
The statewide DFL endorsing convention is scheduled to begin this Friday and run through Sunday. At that event, Democrats will endorse candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, and other statewide offices.
Minnesota’s primary election is scheduled for August 11th. At that election, voters will pick one DFL candidate to represent them on the general election ballot. Given today’s news, the DFL primary for U.S. Senate is likely to heat up throughout the summer.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
