Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan Campaigns in St. Cloud as Part of 2026 U.S. Senate Race

(KNSI) — One of the favorites on the DFL side to replace retiring U.S. Senator Tina Smith was in St. Cloud Monday night for a campaign rally at Pantown Brewing.

Peggy Flanagan is currently the lieutenant governor and is no stranger to running statewide races in Minnesota. Still, she introduced herself to supporters, touching on her Native American history, her hard-scrabble upbringing, and setting the tone for her top themes in the race.

Flanagan expects to win voter support by focusing on kitchen-table issues. “Donald Trump came into office saying that he was going to help people afford their lives, and he has done nothing but cause chaos and destruction.”

Immigration enforcement was another topic Flanagan spent time on Monday. She says she’ll work with Republicans where possible on Capitol Hill, but promises never to sell out the voice of the people. “The way that I campaign is the way that I’m going to govern, making sure that when I walk into the Capitol in Washington, DC, that Minnesotans know that they’re coming with me.”

In keeping with that theme, Flanagan took questions from those in attendance at her rally on Monday night. The event was standing room only. One thing that was not mentioned was the fraud scandals that have already forced Governor Tim Walz to drop out of his reelection bid. Other candidates in the primary include U.S. Representative Angie Craig of the Second Congressional District.

Flanagan is looking to drum up support before the first major milestone of the 2026 campaign. She hopes “that people go to their precinct classes on February 3, raise their hand and be involved in the process.”

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