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National race file

Minnesota U.S. Senate, 2026

State of Minnesota · United States Senator · General election November 3, 2026

The 60-second read

Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat is open: Tina Smith, who holds it, announced in February 2025 that she would not seek reelection. The official state filing record lists six Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates and nine Republican candidates in the August 11 primary, plus an Independent and a Libertarian candidate who filed for the November ballot by petition. Within the DFL primary, reporting and campaign activity have centered heavily on Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan, and this page examines their records in depth, but their contest is one part of the official race, not the whole of it. Early voting began June 26. Amy Klobuchar is running for governor, not for this Senate seat.

Minnesota voters are voting now: early voting runs through August 10, and the primary is August 11, 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. What remains undecided: both parties' nominations, which the primary and the state canvass will establish.

This race file exists because Meet Your Reps is a Minnesota project and this is the statewide federal seat every Minnesota resident votes on: an open seat with a complete official field, a live endorsement-versus-primary story, and clear official-source boundaries. Home-state placement is about proximity and usefulness, not partisan preference. See the full selection criteria on the national races page.

The criteria this race meets
  • Home-state coverage: this is the race file for Meet Your Reps' own state, covering the seat every Minnesota resident votes on statewide.
  • Open or disrupted seat: the current officeholder is not seeking another term, so the seat has no incumbent candidate.
  • Clear public contrast: the most-covered candidates hold different current offices with different records, and the party endorsement and public primary are following different paths.
  • Known timeline: the filing record, certification, early-voting window, primary date, canvass date, and election date are all documented in official state sources.
  • Source trail or clear status: official records document each step, and everything unconfirmed is clearly marked developing.

Reported context: established Minnesota reporting describes the DFL primary, and especially the Craig and Flanagan contest, as the race's central storyline. Reporting is labeled and never establishes official status.

Reported by local media3 sources

Reported context sources
Minnesota context

A statewide race in a changing Minnesota

A U.S. Senate seat is decided statewide. These sourced facts describe the scale and change of the Minnesota electorate. They explain the state; they do not predict how any community will vote.

Minnesota political roots

Farmer, Labor, and why the endorsement still matters

The DFL name records a real history, and that history explains why a party endorsement remains a meaningful event in Minnesota politics even though it decides nothing legally.

A worker and farmer coalition

The Minnesota Historical Society describes the Farmer-Labor movement of roughly the 1910s to the 1940s as a coalition of economically distressed farmers and urban workers that grew out of the Nonpartisan League, won state and congressional elections as a third party, and merged with the Democratic Party in 1944 to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Unions, cooperatives, rural organizing, and immigrant communities were part of that coalition's fabric.

Endorsement and primary are different steps

The DFL describes its own process as precinct caucuses open to all Minnesotans, electing delegates through organizing unit conventions to congressional district and state conventions, where endorsements happen. That process produced the party's May 30 endorsement of Peggy Flanagan. Angie Craig announced the same week that she would bypass the endorsement process and compete in the August 11 primary, as reported by Minnesota Reformer.

These are different procedural facts, not a measure of legitimacy: the endorsement is a party decision made by delegates, and the primary is a public election run by the state in which every eligible voter can participate. Only the primary legally decides the nomination.

The office

What a U.S. senator can actually affect

Before comparing candidates, it helps to know what the office they seek can and cannot do. Every issue section below repeats this exercise for one policy area.

The Senate's constitutional powers

The Senate's official description of its powers covers passing federal legislation together with the House, the federal budget and appropriations process, advice and consent on presidential nominations to executive and judicial offices, consent to treaties by a two-thirds vote, the sole power to try impeachments, and oversight and investigations of the executive branch. Senators also shape federal program design through legislation and provide constituent services in dealings with federal agencies.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: The Senate's constitutional powers

Limit: An official description of the chamber's powers, summarized in plain language.

The limits of one senator

One senator is one of one hundred. Nearly everything the Senate does requires majorities, and legislation also requires the House and the president's signature or a veto override. A senator does not control state or local decisions such as zoning, school curriculum, policing, or state program administration, and does not direct federal agencies or courts. Campaign promises about outcomes should be read against these limits.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: The limits of one senator

Limit: A plain-language summary of institutional limits drawn from the official description of Senate procedure. It is context for reading every candidate claim on this page.

The record

How this race took shape

Each claim carries its own sources and its own limit. The open seat, the official field, the party endorsement, and the public primary are separate facts.

  1. 1

    Checked July 23, 2026 · Official record

    Who holds Minnesota's Senate seats today

    The United States Senate directory lists Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith as Minnesota's current United States senators.

    Status: Verified by official source

    Official record1 source

    Source details: Who holds Minnesota's Senate seats today

    Limit: A federal directory establishes who currently serves. It says nothing about the 2026 election.

  2. 2

    February 13, 2025 · Reported by local media

    The seat became open

    MPR News reported on February 13, 2025 that Senator Tina Smith announced she would not seek reelection in 2026, describing the decision as personal. The Senate seat on this year's ballot therefore has no incumbent seeking another term.

    Status: Reported by local media

    Reported by local mediaOfficial record2 sources

    Source details: The seat became open

    Limit: The announcement is established by reporting; Smith remains a serving senator until her term ends. The candidate field is established by state election records, not by this report.

  3. 3

    Certified June 8, 2026 · Official record

    The state certified the primary candidates

    The Secretary of State announced certification of candidates for the August 11 primary on June 8, 2026: fifteen party-primary candidates for U.S. Senator, six Democratic-Farmer-Labor and nine Republican. The state filing record also lists two petition candidates, an Independent and a Libertarian, whose nominating petitions are processed separately from primary certification and who advance directly to the November election. The state certified the primary candidates and now lists seventeen total Senate filings.

    Status: Verified by official source

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: The state certified the primary candidates

    Limit: Primary certification is not general-election ballot certification. The seventeen listed filings are a point-in-time filing record: the state removes withdrawn candidates, petition candidates never appear in the primaries, and the November field is established only when the state certifies primary results and publishes the general-election candidate list.

  4. 4

    May 30, 2026 · Party-provided and reported

    The party endorsed one primary candidate

    The Minnesota DFL states that its state convention delegates endorsed Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate on May 30, 2026 in Rochester, and Minnesota Reformer reported the endorsement the same day.

    Status: Reported by local media

    Self-statedReported by local media2 sources

    Source details: The party endorsed one primary candidate

    Limit: An endorsement is a political party's internal decision. It is not an election result, changes no ballot status, and does not decide the August 11 primary. The party's participation figures are its own.

  5. 5

    Late May 2026 · Reported by local media

    One candidate chose the primary route

    Minnesota Reformer reported that Angie Craig announced, the week of the convention, that she would bypass the DFL endorsement process and compete directly in the August 11 primary.

    Status: Reported by local media

    Reported by local media1 source

    Source details: One candidate chose the primary route

    Limit: Bypassing a party endorsement process is a campaign strategy permitted by Minnesota's system, not a disqualification. The public primary, not the convention, legally decides the nomination.

  6. 6

    Primary August 11, 2026 · Official record

    Voters decide in August and November

    Under the official state calendar, early voting for the primary began June 26, 2026 and runs through August 10, the primary is August 11, 2026, and the general election is November 3, 2026.

    Status: Verified by official source

    Official record3 sources

    Source details: Voters decide in August and November

    Limit: Dates come from the state election calendar and office announcements. Results will exist only after the elections are held and canvassed.

Authority

Who decides what

Different actors hold authority at different stages. Read the steps in order.

  1. Step 1 of 5

    State election authority

    Minnesota runs the filing and the ballot

    The Secretary of State ran the May 19 to June 2 filing period, recorded withdrawals through June 4, and announced certification of primary candidates on June 8. The filing record, which removes withdrawn candidates, establishes who is in the primary.

    Official record3 sources

    Source details: Minnesota runs the filing and the ballot

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Political party

    Parties may endorse, and only endorse

    The DFL's convention delegates endorsed one Senate candidate on May 30, 2026 under the party's own process. An endorsement organizes party support; it changes nothing on the ballot and decides no nomination.

    Self-stated2 sources

    Source details: Parties may endorse, and only endorse

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Voters

    Voters decide the nominations

    Every eligible Minnesota voter can vote in the state primary on August 11, 2026, choosing one party's primary at the moment of voting (Minnesota has no party registration, and partisan-section votes count for only one party's column). Early voting has been open since June 26, 2026. The primary, not the convention, legally decides each party's nominee.

    Official record3 sources

    Source details: Voters decide the nominations

  4. Step 4 of 5

    State election authority

    The state certifies the results

    The State Canvassing Board meets August 18, 2026 to canvass the primary. Only certification makes a nomination official; reported results before then remain reported.

    Official record1 source

    Source details: The state certifies the results

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Voters

    Voters decide the seat in November

    Voters choose Minnesota's next U.S. senator among the certified general-election candidates on November 3, 2026.

    Official record1 source

    Source details: Voters decide the seat in November

What Meet Your Reps cannot confirm yet

Who will win either party's nomination. Until the state certifies primary results, this page treats no one as a nominee, and it never treats a party endorsement, polling, fundraising, or media attention as a result.

The field

The complete official field

Every candidate on the official state filing record, grouped by party with equal treatment: no photos, no rankings, no scoring. Candidates are listed alphabetically within each party because the state has not yet published ballot order; list order is not a ranking.

On the DFL primary ballot

Official record

All six Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates on the state filing record, listed alphabetically because the state has not published ballot order; list order is not a ranking. The party's endorsement of one candidate is recorded in the process sections and changes nothing here.

Kurt Michael Anderson

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Kurt Michael Anderson: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Angie Craig

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Angie Craig: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Peggy Flanagan

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

George H Kalberer

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: George H Kalberer: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Peter John Murgic

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Peter John Murgic: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Billy Nord

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Billy Nord: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: On the DFL primary ballot

On the Republican primary ballot

Official record

All nine Republican candidates on the state filing record, listed alphabetically because the state has not published ballot order; list order is not a ranking.

Bob "Again" Carney Jr.

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Bob "Again" Carney Jr.: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Cynthia Gail

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Cynthia Gail: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Ahmad R. (Raafat) Hassan

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Ahmad R. (Raafat) Hassan: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Joyce Lacey

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Joyce Lacey: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Patrick Munro

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Patrick Munro: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Adam Schwarze

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Adam Schwarze: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Michele Tafoya

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Michele Tafoya: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Tom Weiler

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Tom Weiler: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Royce White

Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary · Republican

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Royce White: Candidate in the August 11, 2026 state primary

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026, after the June 8, 2026 certification of primary candidates. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the record. A filing establishes primary participation only, never any result or general-election status.

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: On the Republican primary ballot

Filed for the November ballot by nominating petition

Official record

Petition candidates do not run in the August primary, and nominating petitions are processed separately from the June 8 primary certification; with successful petitions they advance directly to the November 3 general election. This is the state filing record; the November ballot is not final until the state certifies primary results and publishes the general-election candidate list.

Marisa Simonetti

Filed for the November 3, 2026 general election by nominating petition · Independent

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source · Last checked

Source details: Marisa Simonetti: Filed for the November 3, 2026 general election by nominating petition

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026. Petition candidates advance directly to the November 3 general election and do not appear in the party primaries. The filing record is not the final certified November ballot.

Rebecca Whiting

Filed for the November 3, 2026 general election by nominating petition · Libertarian

Party exactly as shown on the official state candidate filing record.

Source label: Official record

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source · Last checked

Source details: Rebecca Whiting: Filed for the November 3, 2026 general election by nominating petition

Limit: Listed on the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filing record as of July 23, 2026. Petition candidates advance directly to the November 3 general election and do not appear in the party primaries. The filing record is not the final certified November ballot.

Official record2 sources · Last checked

Source details: Filed for the November ballot by nominating petition
Reported context

Why Craig and Flanagan receive deeper examination

This is an editorial decision, and it is labeled as one.

Current reporting has focused heavily on Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan: established Minnesota outlets have covered their endorsement-and-primary paths, their fundraising, their records, and their disagreements as the central storyline of the DFL primary. This page gives their records additional examination while preserving the complete official field above, where all seventeen filed candidates appear with equal structural treatment.

Status: Reported by local media

Reported by local media3 sources

Source details: Why Craig and Flanagan receive deeper examination

Limit: Media attention is a fact about coverage, not about voters. It does not establish voter support, does not make anyone the leading candidate, and does not predict the result. The other candidates' absence from deeper sections reflects the current source record, not a judgment of their candidacies.

Deeper examination

Different offices, different records

Angie Craig is a federal legislator with individual roll-call votes. Peggy Flanagan is a state executive-branch officeholder whose record is made of roles, assignments, and shared administration work. Comparing them honestly means comparing offices first.

Different offices, different records

These records come from different offices and do not measure identical responsibilities. A House member casts hundreds of individual recorded votes; a lieutenant governor casts none and signs no legislation. Where one candidate has no comparable record, that is a difference between offices, not evidence about either candidate.

Angie Craig

U.S. Representative, Minnesota's 2nd District

Current office

Represents Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House (Democrat, of Prior Lake), with the current term's oath dated January 3, 2025.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Current office

Limit: The House Clerk's directory establishes current office.

What the office can do

A House member casts an individual recorded vote on every roll call, sponsors and cosponsors legislation, and serves on committees; Craig serves on the Committee on Agriculture.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: What the office can do

Limit: Authority described from the official record of her membership and votes. Sponsored-bill history is not compiled on this page.

Selected roll-call votes

Voted Yea on S. 5, the Laken Riley Act (Roll Call 23, January 22, 2025, passed 263 to 156). Voted No on H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Roll Call 190, July 3, 2025, agreed to 218 to 214).

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: Selected roll-call votes

Limit: Two votes selected because they are the most covered in reporting on this race, as the methodology note states. They are not a summary of her full record, and roll calls do not record reasons.

Office limits: One of 435 House members. House votes require majorities, and a representative does not direct federal agencies, courts, or state government.

Peggy Flanagan

Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Current office

Serves as Minnesota's 50th lieutenant governor, in office since January 2019.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Current office

Limit: The state's official biography establishes current office.

What the office can do

Under the Minnesota Constitution, the lieutenant governor's central role is succession: becoming governor if a vacancy occurs. The office holds no vote in the legislature and does not sign bills; the governor signs legislation.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: What the office can do

Limit: Constitutional text describes the office. Additional duties come by assignment or statute.

Documented assignments

Co-chairs the Young Women's Initiative and chairs the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, and the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Documented assignments

Limit: Assignments documented on the official biography. The roles are chairing and coordinating roles, not unilateral program authority.

Prior public service

Served in the Minnesota House of Representatives (elected 2015, St. Louis Park area) and on the Minneapolis Board of Education (2005 to 2009), and directed Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Prior public service

Limit: Prior service documented on the official biography. Her legislative votes from 2015 to 2019 are individual records but are not compiled on this page.

Office limits: The lieutenant governor casts no legislative votes and signs no bills. Statements that she "helped pass" or "delivered" legislation describe shared administration work and remain the administration's or the campaign's characterizations unless an official record proves her specific role.

How these records were selected: every row cites an official record. The two roll-call votes shown are the votes most covered in reporting on this race, not a complete voting record; the assignments shown are those documented on official pages. Campaign characterizations of either record appear only in the clearly labeled issue sections above.

Minnesota issues

Issues shaping Minnesota's debate

Each issue lens states why the issue is present in Minnesota policy and campaign debate, what a U.S. senator can and cannot affect, and what the examined candidates' records and campaign statements show. Campaign positions are candidate-provided and are not completed public actions.

Cost of living and household economics

Why this issue is present in this race

Reported coverage of the primary describes household costs as a central campaign theme, and both most-covered campaigns publish affordability materials. Statewide demographic context appears, separately sourced, in the Minnesota context section above.

Status: Reported by local media

Reported by local media2 sources

Source details: Cost of living and household economics: relevance

Limit: A statement about campaign salience rests on reporting, not on official records. This page does not claim to know what every Minnesotan cares about.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on federal tax law, the federal minimum wage, family and medical leave legislation, federal nutrition programs, and appropriations that fund household-facing programs.

Official record1 source

Source details: Cost of living and household economics: office authority

Limits: State government sets Minnesota's own minimum wage, taxes, and programs; local costs like housing and child care supply depend heavily on state and local decisions. One senator cannot enact any of this alone.

Angie Craig

Public record

Craig voted No on final passage of H.R. 1 (Roll Call 190, July 3, 2025, agreed to 218 to 214), the budget reconciliation measure enacted as Public Law 119-21, whose official law record shows amendments to federal tax and spending provisions, Medicaid provisions of the Social Security Act, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provisions.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: Cost of living and household economics record

Limit: The roll call proves the vote and the outcome; the description of the measure's provisions follows the official law record. Neither records reasons for votes.

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign highlights lowering costs for seniors and families, including insulin price caps, protecting Social Security and pensions, and rebuilding the middle class.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Cost of living and household economics stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Peggy Flanagan

Public record

The state's official biography documents her assignments touching household stability, including chairing the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, and describes the Governor's Office work she was part of on programs such as the Minnesota Family Investment Program.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Cost of living and household economics record

Limit: The biography documents roles; its accomplishment language describes shared administration work. Laws are passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, and this page does not attribute the administration's record to the lieutenant governor individually.

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform calls for a $17 federal minimum wage indexed to inflation, national paid family and medical leave, universal child care, an expanded Child Tax Credit, and restoring federal nutrition funding.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Cost of living and household economics stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Health care, Medicaid, and rural access

Why this issue is present in this race

Congress enacted Medicaid changes in the July 2025 reconciliation law, per the official law record, and federal health programs are among the largest federal responsibilities a senator votes on.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Health care, Medicaid, and rural access: relevance

Limit: An official-record statement about federal legislative activity, not about voter opinion. State indicators on health access are not compiled here.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on Medicare and Medicaid law, Affordable Care Act policy, drug-pricing legislation, and federal health funding, and confirms federal health officials.

Official record1 source

Source details: Health care, Medicaid, and rural access: office authority

Limits: States administer Medicaid within federal rules and make many delivery, licensure, and coverage decisions. A senator does not run Minnesota's health programs.

Angie Craig

Public record

Craig's No vote on H.R. 1 (Roll Call 190, July 3, 2025) was a vote against the enacted reconciliation law whose official record shows amendments to Medicaid provisions of the Social Security Act.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: Health care, Medicaid, and rural access record

Limit: One selected vote, chosen because it is among the most-covered federal votes in reporting on this race. It is not a complete health record, and the roll call does not record reasons.

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign highlights opposing Medicare cuts and capping drug costs, including insulin.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Health care, Medicaid, and rural access stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Peggy Flanagan

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform supports Medicare for All, banning prior authorization practices, protecting Medicaid, and expanding Medicare drug-price negotiation.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Health care, Medicaid, and rural access stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

The lieutenant governor's office casts no federal health votes, so no comparable federal voting record exists. That is a difference between the offices, not a gap in her record.

Agriculture, food systems, and rural development

Why this issue is present in this race

Federal farm policy runs through Congress, and Craig serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, whose official jurisdiction covers farm and commodity programs, crop insurance, and nutrition policy including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record3 sources

Source details: Agriculture, food systems, and rural development: relevance

Limit: Relevance drawn from the official committee membership and jurisdiction records and the office's authority. Farm economy indicators are not compiled here.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on the Farm Bill, crop insurance, federal nutrition programs, rural development funding, and agricultural trade measures, and conducts oversight of the Department of Agriculture.

Official record1 source

Source details: Agriculture, food systems, and rural development: office authority

Limits: Commodity markets, weather, and state and local land-use decisions sit outside any senator's control, and farm programs require majorities in both chambers.

Angie Craig

Public record

The House Clerk's directory records Craig as a member of the Committee on Agriculture, whose official jurisdiction statement covers farm and commodity programs, crop insurance, and nutrition policy including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: Agriculture, food systems, and rural development record

Limit: The directory proves committee membership and the committee's own rules document its jurisdiction. Committee leadership titles and individual bill actions are not shown on these pages and are not claimed here.

Peggy Flanagan

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform addresses fighting tariff impacts on farmers, passing a comprehensive Farm Bill, right-to-repair protections, and biofuels support.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Agriculture, food systems, and rural development stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

No comparable federal agriculture record exists for the lieutenant governor's office; state agriculture programs are run by a state agency under the governor.

Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power

Why this issue is present in this race

A large federal enforcement operation in the Twin Cities beginning in December 2025, litigation over it by Minnesota and its largest cities, and the deaths of two U.S. citizens during it made immigration enforcement a major public and campaign issue, per established reporting.

Status: Reported by local media

Reported by local media2 sources

Source details: Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power: relevance

Limit: The operation, the lawsuit, and the deaths are documented by reporting and court proceedings; characterizations of the operation are disputed and attributed to their sources. This page states no unresolved legal claim as settled and generalizes about no community.

What the office can affect

Congress writes federal immigration law, funds and oversees the Department of Homeland Security, and confirms its leadership. A senator votes on all of it, and Senate oversight can compel testimony and records.

Official record1 source

Source details: Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power: office authority

Limits: Enforcement decisions rest with federal executive agencies, and courts resolve legal challenges. State and local governments control their own cooperation policies, which a senator does not direct.

Angie Craig

Public record

Craig voted Yea on S. 5, the Laken Riley Act (Roll Call 23, January 22, 2025, passed 263 to 156 with 46 Democratic yes votes), enacted as Public Law 119-1, whose official title requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody people without legal immigration status who have been charged with theft, before any conviction.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Angie Craig: Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power record

Limit: The roll call proves the vote and the official law record proves what the act requires. The vote established her position at that time; it does not by itself prove her current position, which is recorded next.

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Craig later said she regrets the vote, telling CBS News Minnesota: "voting to give Trump's ICE any additional authority was a mistake and I regret it."

Status: Reported by local media

Reported by local media1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power stated position

Limit: Self-stated by the candidate in a reported interview. A later statement of regret is her own characterization; the roll-call record above is unchanged by it, and an opponent's advertising does not define either.

Peggy Flanagan

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform opposes mass deportations, supports due-process protections and pathways to legal status, and calls for dismantling ICE.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Immigration enforcement, civil rights, and federal power stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

The lieutenant governor's office holds no federal immigration authority, so no comparable federal voting record exists.

Fraud, program integrity, and government trust

Why this issue is present in this race

The Legislative Auditor found that state oversight failures created opportunities for fraud in the Feeding Our Future case, federal prosecutions have produced dozens of convictions including a 500-month sentence for the scheme's leader per MPR News, and Minnesota enacted a new Office of Inspector General in 2026.

Status: Reported by local media

Official recordReported by local media3 sources

Source details: Fraud, program integrity, and government trust: relevance

Limit: A combined statement carrying the status of its weakest authority: the audit finding and the enacted law are official records (labeled on their source cards), while the prosecution outcomes are reported from court coverage. Nothing here attributes fraud to any candidate, officeholder, or community.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on federal program design and funding conditions, and Senate oversight and confirmation powers reach the federal agencies whose programs states administer.

Official record1 source

Source details: Fraud, program integrity, and government trust: office authority

Limits: Day-to-day administration of programs like the federal child nutrition programs is a state responsibility under federal rules, and criminal cases are decided by courts. The new state inspector general is a state office outside any senator's authority.

Angie Craig

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign lists fixing what it describes as a broken, self-dealing Washington among its priorities, including ethics and accountability measures.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Fraud, program integrity, and government trust stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

No specific federal oversight vote has been selected for this file as of July 23, 2026.

Peggy Flanagan

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform calls for a stock-trading ban for federal officials and reversing Citizens United as accountability measures.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Fraud, program integrity, and government trust stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

The state Office of Inspector General was created by the legislature and signed by the governor; it is not attributed to the lieutenant governor, and no comparable individual oversight record is claimed for her.

Tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities

Why this issue is present in this race

Minnesota law recognizes 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations as governments with which state agencies must consult, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs describes the federal trust responsibility as a legally enforceable fiduciary obligation to protect tribal treaty rights, lands, assets, and resources, obligations that run through Congress.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record3 sources

Source details: Tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities: relevance

Limit: Tribal Nations are sovereign governments. Nothing here assigns them shared policy positions or treats their citizens as a voting bloc.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on federal Indian law, appropriations that fund trust and treaty obligations including the Indian Health Service, and confirmation of federal officials responsible for consultation and the trust responsibility.

Official record2 sources

Source details: Tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities: office authority

Limits: Treaty and trust obligations are federal; Minnesota state government cannot alter them, and state law binds state agencies, not the Tribes. No senator speaks for any Tribal Nation.

Peggy Flanagan

Public record

The state's official biography describes Flanagan as "a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and currently the country's highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office," and documents the administration's establishment of the nation's first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities record

Limit: The citizenship and ranking language is the state biography's own wording. Identity is not a policy record or a score: she does not represent every Native voter or any Tribal government, and administration actions are shared executive-branch work.

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform commits to honoring treaty obligations, permanent Indian Health Service funding, and a federal Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives office.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Angie Craig

No comparable published Tribal-policy record or position has been identified for this file as of July 23, 2026. Absence of a compiled record is recorded as absence, not inferred against the candidate.

Democracy, public service, and political violence

Why this issue is present in this race

The June 2025 attacks that killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman and wounded Senator John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman are part of Minnesota's recent civic environment; the man responsible pleaded guilty to federal charges and was sentenced on July 23, 2026 to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years.

Status: Reported by local media

Reported by local media1 source

Source details: Democracy, public service, and political violence: relevance

Limit: Included as restrained, verified-reported civic context on political violence and public service. No candidate or party is connected to the violence, and this page does not use the attack for emotional framing.

What the office can affect

A senator votes on federal criminal law, funding for law enforcement and courts, and election-related federal legislation, and participates in oversight of federal agencies involved in protective and investigative work.

Official record1 source

Source details: Democracy, public service, and political violence: office authority

Limits: Prosecutions are decided by prosecutors and courts. Security for state officials is a state and legislative-branch responsibility, and no federal office can guarantee civic safety by itself.

Angie Craig

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign lists protecting democracy and freedoms as its first stated priority.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Angie Craig: Democracy, public service, and political violence stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Peggy Flanagan

Stated position (not a completed public action)

Her campaign platform includes voting-rights legislation and campaign-finance changes among its democracy commitments.

Status: Candidate-provided

Candidate-provided1 source

Source details: Peggy Flanagan: Democracy, public service, and political violence stated position

Limit: Candidate-provided. Campaign commitments are not completed public actions.

Money

Campaign money and outside spending

Federal filings show what campaigns raise and spend. They never show voter support.

Candidate committees, per FEC filings through June 30, 2026

Angie Craig for Minnesota reported receipts of $11,932,560.20, disbursements of $6,896,500.22, and cash on hand of $5,036,059.98, covering April 20, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota reported receipts of $6,044,163.40, disbursements of $4,478,559.63, and cash on hand of $1,565,603.77, covering January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Both figures come from the 2026 July Quarterly reports.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Candidate committees, per FEC filings through June 30, 2026

Limit: The two committees' coverage periods begin on different dates, so the totals are not a same-window comparison. Money raised is not a measure of voter support, and totals for the other fifteen candidates' committees, where they exist, are not compiled here.

Independent expenditures reported to the FEC

As of July 23, 2026, reported independent expenditures in this race include Center Forward Committee at $629,749.89 supporting Craig, North Star Dawn PAC at $300,000 opposing Flanagan and $37,500 supporting Craig, and Clear Voice Minnesota at $72,600 opposing Craig and $18,900 supporting Flanagan, with smaller amounts from other committees.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record1 source

Source details: Independent expenditures reported to the FEC

Limit: Independent expenditures are reported by the spending committees and are, by legal definition, made without campaign coordination; this page does not assert coordination. Totals reflect filings as of the access date and will change.

Process

Party endorsement versus public primary

Two different institutions are at work in this race, and conflating them is the most common confusion about Minnesota politics.

What the endorsement is

The DFL's endorsement of Peggy Flanagan was made by convention delegates chosen through the party's caucus and convention process; the party says nearly 40,000 Minnesotans participated in that process. It is a signal of party organization and volunteer energy, and campaigns value it. Legally, it is an internal party decision.

What the primary is

The August 11 primary is a public election run by the state. Any eligible Minnesota voter may vote, early voting runs June 26 through August 10, and the State Canvassing Board certifies the results on August 18. Minnesota does not register voters by party: each voter chooses which party's primary to participate in at the moment of voting, may vote for candidates from only one political party in the partisan portion of the ballot, and votes cast across more than one party's column there will not count.

The primary winner becomes the party's nominee for November. Winning the primary does not make anyone a senator; the general election on November 3 decides the seat.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record3 sources

Source details: What the primary is

Limit: Dates, mechanics, and the one-party primary rule come from official state records and guidance. The nomination exists only after certification.

Same cycle, separate office

Amy Klobuchar is running for governor, not for this Senate seat

Amy Klobuchar is running for Minnesota governor with lieutenant governor candidate Ben Schierer. She is not an opponent of Peggy Flanagan in the U.S. Senate primary.

Senate and governor are separate offices on the same 2026 Minnesota ballot. The official state filing record lists Klobuchar and Schierer under Governor and Lt Governor (Democratic-Farmer-Labor, filed June 2, 2026) and does not list Klobuchar among the U.S. Senate candidates.

Klobuchar has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since 2007, so voters seeing her name this cycle may understandably associate her with a Senate race. The filing record resolves the distinction, and this page covers the governor's race only to this extent.

Status: Verified by official source

Official record2 sources

Source details: Amy Klobuchar is running for governor, not for this Senate seat

Limit: The filing record establishes which office each candidate filed for. This panel is a clarification, not coverage of the governor's race, and it implies no comparison between the two contests.

Official information

Your evaluation

Questions Minnesota voters can bring to this race

Meet Your Reps does not tell you whom to support. These questions may help you weigh the record for yourself.

  • Which actions in each candidate's public record best predict how they would use the specific powers a senator has?
  • Which statements on this page are campaign commitments, and which are completed public actions?
  • Where does each candidate acknowledge tradeoffs, costs, or limits on what a senator can deliver?
  • How would each candidate approach issues where federal, state, local, and Tribal authority overlap?
  • What does each candidate's funding record show about who supports them, and what does it not prove?
  • How do the party endorsement and the public primary differ, and how much weight should each carry in your decision?
  • What information is still missing or developing, and when will official records resolve it?
Timeline

When Minnesota voters get a say

Completed events show their known result. Party-process dates are labeled party-provided; state deadlines are labeled official state records.

  1. May 19 to June 2, 2026

    Completed

    Candidate filing period

    Official state record

    The state filing window for federal, state, and county offices.

    Result: Candidates filed with the Secretary of State. The filing record lists each candidate with party, filing date, and any campaign website as filed.

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: Candidate filing period

  2. May 30, 2026

    Completed

    DFL state convention endorsement

    Party-provided

    The party's state convention in Rochester. A party endorsement is an internal party decision, not a state election act.

    Result: The party states its delegates endorsed Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate; reporting recorded that Angie Craig announced that week she would bypass the endorsement process and compete in the primary.

    Self-statedReported by local media2 sources

    Source details: DFL state convention endorsement

  3. June 4, 2026

    Completed

    Candidate withdrawal deadline

    Official state record

    The statutory deadline to withdraw by affidavit, 5:00 p.m.

    Result: The window closed. The state removes withdrawn candidates from the filing record, so the current record reflects the post-withdrawal field.

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: Candidate withdrawal deadline

  4. June 8, 2026

    Completed

    Primary candidates certified

    Official state record

    The Secretary of State announced certification of candidates for the August 11 primary.

    Result: Certification was announced, with the Candidate Filing website designated as the electronic candidate list. Petition candidates with successful petitions advance directly to the November election.

    Official record1 source

    Source details: Primary candidates certified

  5. June 26, 2026

    Completed

    Early voting began

    Official state record

    Absentee and early in-person voting for the primary, running through August 10.

    Result: Early voting opened as scheduled under the state calendar.

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: Early voting began

  6. August 11, 2026

    Next

    State primary election

    Official state record

    The statewide primary that legally decides each party's U.S. Senate nomination. Polls are open until 8 p.m., with election-day registration available.

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: State primary election

  7. August 18, 2026

    Upcoming

    State Canvassing Board meets

    Official state record

    The board canvasses the primary and certifies the results.

    Official record1 source

    Source details: State Canvassing Board meets

  8. November 3, 2026

    Upcoming

    General election

    Official state record

    Statewide general election, including the U.S. Senate race.

    Official record2 sources

    Source details: General election
Status

What we know and what we are watching

Official state records confirm the certified primary field, the election calendar, and that early voting is open. The primary has not been held, so no nomination exists yet: the party endorsement recorded on this page is a party decision, not a result, and no candidate holds any general-election status. Campaign finance filings are federal records that never establish ballot status.

Verified by official sources

Confirmed

  • The state certified fifteen party-primary candidates for U.S. Senate (six DFL, nine Republican); two petition candidates are listed separately for November, seventeen filings in total.
  • Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith currently serve as Minnesota's U.S. senators; the seat on the ballot is the one Smith holds.
  • The state primary is August 11, 2026, with certified results due from the State Canvassing Board on August 18.
  • Early voting for the primary began June 26, 2026.

Each fact above restates a verified record from this file and is sourced where it first appears: in the story, the authority flow, the field, and the timeline.

Not yet confirmed

Still developing

  • The August 11 primary results for both party nominations.
  • Certification of the primary results by the State Canvassing Board on August 18.
  • The official general-election candidate list after the primary is certified.
  • Pre-primary campaign finance filings, which will update the totals shown here.

Standards note

A party endorsement is not an election result

The DFL endorsement of Peggy Flanagan is a political party's internal decision, recorded here from the party's own release and reporting. It confers no ballot status and does not predict or decide the primary. The nomination is decided by voters in the August 11 state primary and certified by the State Canvassing Board.

To verify: Check the certified state primary results after the August 18, 2026 State Canvassing Board meeting.

Standards note

The November general-election field is not established

Primary participation, party endorsements, petition filings, and campaign finance registrations do not establish the November ballot. The general-election field settles only when the state certifies primary results and publishes the general-election candidate list.

To verify: Check the Minnesota Secretary of State's records after the primary canvass for the certified nominees and the general-election candidate list.

Standards note

Campaign-finance totals cover different periods

Craig's committee totals cover April 20, 2025 through June 30, 2026; Flanagan's cover January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Both end on the same date but begin differently, so the totals are not a same-window comparison, and money raised is not a measure of voter support. Totals for the other fifteen candidates' committees, where they exist, have not been compiled here.

To verify: Check each committee's next FEC filing, including pre-primary reports, at fec.gov.

Next review:

Next review is scheduled for August 12, 2026, the day after the state primary, to record reported results with certification pending. A further review is required after the August 18, 2026 State Canvassing Board meeting, when certified primary results establish the nominees.

Your say

Your ballot

November 3, 2026General election

The state primary is August 11, 2026. Early voting runs June 26 through August 10, by mail or early in person; polls are open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, and Minnesota allows election-day registration. Minnesota does not register voters by political party: you choose which party's primary to take part in when you vote, you may vote for candidates from only one political party in the partisan portion of the ballot, and votes cast across more than one party's column there will not count. The primary decides each party's nominee, and voters choose the next U.S. senator in the general election on November 3, 2026.

Official record4 sources

Source details: primary and general election dates and voting mechanics

Official voter information

Source trail

Every source used on this page

Sources are grouped by what they can establish. Each group states its authority; the full cards state what each source proves and does not prove.

Minnesota election records

5 sources

Minnesota Secretary of State records and guidance. These establish the candidate field, certification, the election calendar, voting mechanics, and the one-party primary rule.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Minnesota election records
Official record · State candidate filing system, queried by officePrimary source

Minnesota Secretary of State: Candidate Filings, November 3, 2026 State General Elections

PublisherOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State
ProvesQueried for U.S. Senator on the access date, the state filing record lists six Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates (Kurt Michael Anderson, Angie Craig, Peggy Flanagan, George H Kalberer, Peter John Murgic, Billy Nord), nine Republican candidates (Bob "Again" Carney Jr., Cynthia Gail, Ahmad R. (Raafat) Hassan, Joyce Lacey, Patrick Munro, Adam Schwarze, Michele Tafoya, Tom Weiler, Royce White), one Independent (Marisa Simonetti), and one Libertarian (Rebecca Whiting), each with party, filing date, and any campaign website as filed. Queried for Governor and Lt Governor, it lists Amy Klobuchar and Ben Schierer as Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates, filed June 2, 2026. The system states that candidates who withdraw are removed from the site.
Does not proveAny election result, the final November ballot content, or ballot order. Petition candidates appear only on the general-election ballot, not in the party primaries.
Accessed
Official record · State election office news releasePrimary source

Minnesota Secretary of State: Candidates Certified for 2026 Primary Election

PublisherOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State
ProvesOn June 8, 2026 the office announced certification of candidates for all federal and state offices for the August 11, 2026 State Primary Election, designating the Candidate Filing website as the electronic list. Voting in the primary begins June 26, 2026; early in-person voting runs June 26 through August 10; polls are open until 8 p.m. on Election Day; Minnesota allows election-day registration. Minor party and independent candidates with successful petitions advance directly to the November 3 General Election.
Does not proveAny election result, or which petition candidates ultimately qualified.
Published
Accessed
Official record · State election calendar, PDFPrimary source

2026 Minnesota Secretary of State Elections Calendar

PublisherOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State
ProvesThe candidate filing period ran May 19 through June 2, 2026, with a withdrawal deadline of June 4, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Primary absentee and early voting runs June 26 through August 10. The State Primary is August 11, 2026 and the State Canvassing Board meets August 18, 2026 to canvass the primary. The General Election is November 3, 2026, with the state general-election canvass on November 19, 2026.
Does not proveWho filed for any office, or any election result.
Published
Accessed
Official record · State election factsheet, PDFPrimary source

Minnesota Secretary of State factsheet: August Primary Election

PublisherOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State
ProvesEarly voting for the August 11, 2026 primary runs June 26 through August 10. Early voting for the November 3, 2026 general election runs September 18 through November 2.
Does not proveCandidate fields or results.
Accessed
Official record · State election office guidance on primary voting rulesPrimary source

Minnesota Secretary of State: Primary election (how primaries work)

PublisherOffice of the Minnesota Secretary of State
ProvesMinnesota does not have political party registration; voters decide when they vote which party's primary to participate in. In the partisan portion of the primary ballot a voter can vote for candidates from only one political party, and votes cast for candidates from more than one party will not count. The primary determines which candidates appear on the November general-election ballot.
Does not proveWho is on any ballot, or any election result.
Accessed

Official federal public record

9 sources

The U.S. Senate directory and authority description, House Clerk roll calls and member directory, official congressional law records, the House Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction statement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Roll calls establish votes, law records establish provisions; neither establishes reasons.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Official federal public record
Official record · Official U.S. Senate directoryPrimary source

United States Senate: Senators from Minnesota

PublisherUnited States Senate
ProvesAmy Klobuchar and Tina Smith currently serve as United States Senators for Minnesota.
Does not proveAnyone's 2026 candidacy or ballot status. Those are established by Minnesota election records.
Accessed
Official record · Official explanation of Senate authorityPrimary source

United States Senate: Powers and Procedures

PublisherUnited States Senate
ProvesThe Senate's constitutional powers include passing legislation together with the House, advice and consent on presidential nominations, consent to treaties by a two-thirds vote, the sole power to try impeachments, and conducting oversight and investigations.
Does not proveWhat any individual senator can accomplish alone. Most Senate action requires majorities in both chambers.
Accessed
Official record · Official House roll-call recordPrimary source

U.S. House Clerk: Roll Call 23, S. 5, Laken Riley Act, On Passage

PublisherOffice of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
ProvesOn January 22, 2025 the House passed S. 5, the Laken Riley Act, 263 to 156, with 46 Democratic yes votes. Angie Craig (Democratic, MN) is recorded as voting Yea. The record was opened and read directly.
Does not proveThe reasons for any member's vote, or the bill's later implementation. The roll call records the vote itself.
Published
Accessed
Official record · Official House roll-call recordPrimary source

U.S. House Clerk: Roll Call 190, H.R. 1, On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment

PublisherOffice of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
ProvesOn July 3, 2025 the House agreed to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 218 to 214. Angie Craig (Democratic, MN) is recorded as voting No. The record was opened and read directly.
Does not proveThe reasons for any member's vote. Descriptions of what the measure changed come from the bill text and reporting, not from the roll call itself.
Published
Accessed
Official record · Official congressional bill record; law text read via the GPO-published Public Law 119-21 record at govinfo.gov (PLAW-119publ21)Primary source

Congress.gov: H.R. 1, 119th Congress (Public Law 119-21)

PublisherLibrary of Congress and U.S. Government Publishing Office
ProvesH.R. 1 became Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025, a budget reconciliation act. The official law record's United States Code citations show it amends Medicaid provisions of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a and following), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act (7 U.S.C. 2012 and following), and federal tax and spending provisions.
Does not proveThe effects of those provisions, or any member's reasons for voting. On the access date congress.gov presented an automated verification page, so the law's contents were read in the GPO-published official law record, which carries the same official status.
Published
Accessed
Official record · Official congressional bill record; law text read via the GPO-published Public Law 119-1 record at govinfo.gov (PLAW-119publ1)Primary source

Congress.gov: S. 5, Laken Riley Act, 119th Congress (Public Law 119-1)

PublisherLibrary of Congress and U.S. Government Publishing Office
ProvesS. 5, the Laken Riley Act, became Public Law 119-1 on January 29, 2025. Its official full title: an act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes. Custody is required upon charge, before any conviction.
Does not proveHow the act has been implemented, or any member's reasons for voting. On the access date congress.gov presented an automated verification page, so the law record was read in the GPO-published official version, which carries the same official status.
Published
Accessed
Official record · Official committee rules and jurisdiction statementPrimary source

U.S. House Committee on Agriculture: Rules and Jurisdiction, 119th Congress

PublisherU.S. House Committee on Agriculture
ProvesThe committee's official rules, adopted January 23, 2025, document its jurisdiction, including policies and statutes relating to nutrition (naming the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), commodity and farm programs, crop insurance, and related agricultural policy areas handled through its subcommittees.
Does not proveAny individual member's actions or positions.
Published
Accessed
Official record · Official federal explanation of the trust responsibilityPrimary source

Bureau of Indian Affairs: What is the federal Indian trust responsibility?

PublisherU.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
ProvesThe federal Indian trust responsibility is a legally enforceable fiduciary obligation of the United States to protect tribal treaty rights, lands, assets, and resources, first discussed in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) and described by the Supreme Court as moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust.
Does not proveAny specific Minnesota treaty's terms, or any Tribal Nation's policy positions.
Accessed
Official record · Federal member directory profilePrimary source

U.S. House Clerk: Member profile, Angie Craig

PublisherOffice of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
ProvesAngie Craig is the current representative for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District (Democrat, of Prior Lake), with an oath of office dated January 3, 2025, and serves on the House Committee on Agriculture.
Does not proveHer 2026 Senate ballot status (established by Minnesota election records) or her committee leadership title, which this directory page does not display.
Accessed

Campaign-finance records

3 sources

Federal Election Commission data. Filings establish reported money, with stated coverage periods; they never establish ballot status or voter support.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Campaign-finance records
Official record · Federal campaign finance dataPrimary source

FEC committee financial totals: Angie Craig for Minnesota (C00903690)

PublisherFederal Election Commission
ProvesFor the 2026 cycle, as of the 2026 July Quarterly report covering April 20, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the committee reported receipts of $11,932,560.20, disbursements of $6,896,500.22, and cash on hand of $5,036,059.98.
Does not proveVoter support, activity after June 30, 2026, or spending by outside groups. FEC registration and filings never establish state ballot qualification.
Accessed
Official record · Federal campaign finance dataPrimary source

FEC committee financial totals: Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota (C00897751)

PublisherFederal Election Commission
ProvesFor the 2026 cycle, as of the 2026 July Quarterly report covering January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, the committee reported receipts of $6,044,163.40, disbursements of $4,478,559.63, and cash on hand of $1,565,603.77.
Does not proveVoter support, activity after June 30, 2026, or spending by outside groups. FEC registration and filings never establish state ballot qualification.
Accessed
Official record · Federal campaign finance dataPrimary source

FEC independent expenditure records for the 2026 Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates

PublisherFederal Election Commission
ProvesAs of the access date, reported independent expenditures include Center Forward Committee at $629,749.89 supporting Craig, North Star Dawn PAC at $300,000 opposing Flanagan and $37,500 supporting Craig, and Clear Voice Minnesota at $72,600 opposing Craig and $18,900 supporting Flanagan, with smaller amounts from other committees.
Does not proveCoordination with any campaign (independent expenditures are made without candidate coordination by legal definition, as reported by the spenders), a complete picture of outside spending, or any later spending.
Accessed

Official Minnesota public record

5 sources

The state constitution, statutes, the official lieutenant governor biography, a legislative summary of the enacted inspector general law, and a Legislative Auditor review. These establish offices, laws, and audit findings.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Official Minnesota public record
Official record · Official state biographyPrimary source

Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan: Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan

PublisherState of Minnesota, Office of the Governor
ProvesThe state's official biography describes Peggy Flanagan as Minnesota's 50th Lieutenant Governor, "a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and currently the country's highest ranking Native woman elected to executive office." It documents that she co-chairs the Young Women's Initiative and chairs the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, and the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, and that she served in the Minnesota House (elected 2015) and on the Minneapolis Board of Education (2005 to 2009).
Does not proveThe biography's characterizations of shared administration accomplishments (phrases like "led the Governor's Office to help secure key legislative wins") do not establish individual legal authority over legislation. The "highest ranking" description is the state's own wording, not an independently adjudicated ranking.
Accessed
Official record · State constitutionPrimary source

Constitution of the State of Minnesota

PublisherMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
ProvesArticle V vests executive power and defines the lieutenant governor's constitutional role, centrally succession: the lieutenant governor becomes governor if a vacancy occurs. Bills are signed into law by the governor (Article IV, Section 23). The lieutenant governor holds no vote in the legislature.
Does not proveWhat any officeholder has personally done within those roles.
Accessed
Official record · State statutePrimary source

Minnesota Statutes, section 10.65: Government-to-government relationship with Tribal governments

PublisherMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes
ProvesMinnesota law names the 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations sharing geography with Minnesota (Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and White Earth Bands, Red Lake Nation, and the Lower Sioux, Prairie Island, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, and Upper Sioux communities) and requires state agencies to recognize their unique legal status and engage in timely and meaningful consultation with them as governments.
Does not proveFederal law or any Tribal Nation's policy positions. Tribal Nations are sovereign governments; the statute binds state agencies, not the Tribes.
Accessed
Official record · Legislative public information summary of an enacted lawPrimary source

Minnesota House Public Information Services: New law creates Office of Inspector General

PublisherMinnesota House of Representatives, Public Information Services
ProvesA 2026 law creates an independent state Office of Inspector General: the governor appoints the inspector general to a five-year term subject to Senate confirmation, most provisions take effect January 1, 2027, and the office reaches full operational status September 1, 2027, with an anti-fraud bureau beginning January 1, 2028.
Does not proveThat the office will reduce fraud, or any attribution of past fraud to any person or candidate.
Accessed
Official record · Nonpartisan state audit special reviewPrimary source

Office of the Legislative Auditor: Minnesota Department of Education, Oversight of Feeding Our Future

PublisherMinnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor
ProvesThe Legislative Auditor found that the Department of Education's "inadequate oversight of Feeding Our Future created opportunities for fraud," that the department failed to act on warning signs known before the pandemic, did not effectively exercise its authority, and was ill-prepared. The review was opened and read directly.
Does not proveIndividual guilt (courts decide criminal cases), fraud by the department itself, or any connection between fraud and any community or candidate.
Published
Accessed

Official statistical context

2 sources

State Demographic Center estimates and projections. These establish dated statewide indicators, never ballot status or political conclusions.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Official statistical context
Official record · Official state population estimatesPrimary source

Minnesota State Demographic Center: Our Estimates

PublisherMinnesota State Demographic Center
ProvesThe state's 2025 estimates: Minnesota's population was 5,891,109 with 2,375,248 households, up 3.2 percent since the 2020 census. The fastest-growing counties 2020 to 2025 were Wright (11.5 percent), Carver (10.4), Washington (8.9), Isanti (7.9), and Sherburne (7.2); 32 counties lost population. Largest counties: Hennepin (1,313,127), Ramsey (557,123), Dakota (462,169), Anoka (382,119), Washington (291,448). Largest cities: Minneapolis (435,246), St. Paul (313,112), Rochester (124,953), Bloomington (92,613), Duluth (88,294).
Does not proveHow anyone will vote. U.S. Census Bureau estimates differ slightly by methodology; these are the state's own figures, dated April 1.
Accessed
Official record · Official state population projectionsPrimary source

Minnesota State Demographic Center: Our Projections (May 2024 dataset)

PublisherMinnesota State Demographic Center
ProvesState projections show Minnesota's 65 and over population more than doubling from 2024 to 2075, natural change (births minus deaths) turning negative by 2065, and Black, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, and other communities of color projected to grow faster than the White population, with migration contributing positively to growth.
Does not proveProjections are models built on assumptions, not observed outcomes, and say nothing about political behavior.
Published
Accessed

Candidate-provided material

2 sources

The campaigns' own issue pages. Campaign statements are not completed public actions and are not independent verification.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Candidate-provided material
Candidate-provided · Campaign issues pageSecondary source

Angie Craig for Minnesota: Issues

PublisherAngie Craig for Minnesota (campaign)
ProvesThe campaign's own stated priorities: protecting democracy and freedoms, rebuilding and strengthening Minnesota's middle class, fighting and fixing what it calls a broken and self-dealing Washington, and keeping communities safe. The page highlights her record on seniors' costs, including insulin price caps and protecting Social Security and pensions.
Does not proveCampaign statements are not completed public actions and are not independently verified. The page publishes less issue detail than some opponents' pages; absence of a position statement is recorded as absence, not inferred.
Accessed
Candidate-provided · Campaign priorities pageSecondary source

Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota: Priorities

PublisherPeggy Flanagan for Minnesota (campaign)
ProvesThe campaign's own stated positions across 16 areas, including support for Medicare for All, a $17 federal minimum wage indexed to inflation, national paid family and medical leave, the PRO Act, opposition to mass deportations with support for due-process protections and pathways to legal status, support for the Women's Health Protection Act, honoring treaty obligations with permanent Indian Health Service funding, and reversing Citizens United.
Does not proveCampaign statements are not completed public actions and are not independently verified.
Accessed

Party-provided material

2 sources

The Minnesota DFL describing its own endorsement and process. A party source never establishes an election result.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Party-provided material
Self-stated · Political party news releaseSecondary source

Minnesota DFL: DFL Endorses Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate

PublisherMinnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
ProvesThe party's own account: DFL convention delegates in Rochester endorsed Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate, and the party says nearly 40,000 Minnesotans participated in its endorsement process. The release contains campaign language and characterizations of opponents.
Does not proveAn endorsement is a political party's internal decision. It is not an election result, confers no ballot status, and does not predict the August 11 primary outcome. Participation figures are the party's own.
Published
Accessed
Self-stated · Political party process descriptionSecondary source

Minnesota DFL: The Caucus and Convention Process

PublisherMinnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
ProvesThe party's own description of its structure: precinct caucuses open to all Minnesotans elect delegates to organizing unit conventions, which endorse legislative candidates and send delegates to congressional district and state conventions, where statewide endorsements happen.
Does not proveThis is a party describing its own process, not a state election record. Party endorsement is separate from the state-run primary that legally decides nominations.
Accessed

Historical context

1 source

Minnesota Historical Society material on the Farmer-Labor movement. History explains institutions; it endorses no candidate.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Historical context
Verified by source · Historical context from the state historical societySecondary source

Minnesota Historical Society Library: Overview, Farmer-Labor Movement

PublisherMinnesota Historical Society
ProvesHistorical context: the Farmer-Labor movement (roughly 1910s to 1940s) united economically distressed farmers and urban workers, grew out of the Nonpartisan League, won state and congressional elections as a third party, and merged with the Democratic Party in 1944 to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Does not proveAnything about the present-day party's candidates or policies, or which 2026 candidate better represents that tradition. Historical context only.
Accessed

Reported context

8 sources

Labeled reporting used for context, chronology, and candidate statements. Reporting never establishes official status.

Full source cards: what each proves and does not prove: Reported context
Reported by local media · Reported contextSecondary source

MPR News: Sen. Tina Smith won't seek reelection in 2026, putting Minnesota seat up for grabs

PublisherMPR News
ProvesReported context: on February 13, 2025 Senator Tina Smith announced she would not seek reelection in 2026, describing the decision as personal.
Does not proveReporting does not establish ballot status or the candidate field; those come from state election records.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported context (syndicated reprint)Secondary source

Minnesota Reformer: Peggy Flanagan wins DFL endorsement for U.S. Senate seat

PublisherMinnesota Reformer
ProvesReported context: delegates at the DFL state convention in Rochester backed Peggy Flanagan for the U.S. Senate endorsement on May 30, 2026, and Angie Craig, who had announced earlier that week that she would bypass the endorsement process and compete in the August 11 primary, did not attend.
Does not proveReporting does not make an endorsement an election result and does not predict the primary outcome.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported context with candidate interviewSecondary source

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

PublisherCBS News Minnesota
ProvesReported context: the Laken Riley Act requires federal detention of people without legal immigration status who are charged with certain theft-related offenses, and Craig, interviewed by CBS, said of her vote for it: "voting to give Trump's ICE any additional authority was a mistake and I regret it." The piece also reports polling in the primary and describes immigration as a central issue in the race.
Does not proveThe quote is the candidate's own later self-description, carried by reporting. Reported polling is not an election result, and its methodology is not detailed here.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported candidate guideSecondary source

KAXE: US Senator 2026 Primary Election Guide, Democrats

PublisherKAXE
ProvesReported context: a public-radio primary guide covering the six-candidate DFL field, noting Flanagan as the party-endorsed candidate and recording which candidates responded to the guide.
Does not proveBallot status (established by state records) or any election result.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported court outcomeSecondary source

MPR News: Aimee Bock sentenced for Feeding Our Future fraud

PublisherMPR News
ProvesReported context: Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock, convicted at trial in 2025 on federal fraud and bribery counts, was sentenced on May 21, 2026 to 500 months in prison with roughly $243 million in restitution ordered. More than 70 people have been charged in the scheme and most have been convicted or pleaded guilty; some cases and appeals remain pending.
Does not proveConvictions belong to the named defendants. Nothing here connects fraud to any community, candidate, or officeholder.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported litigation coverageSecondary source

FOX 9: Judge hears arguments over lawsuit seeking to halt ICE operations in Minnesota

PublisherFOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
ProvesReported context: a large federal immigration enforcement operation ran in the Twin Cities beginning in December 2025; Minnesota, Minneapolis, and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security, alleging (in the state's filing) unconstitutional tactics; a federal judge heard arguments January 26, 2026 and later declined a temporary restraining order while broader claims continued.
Does not proveThe state's allegations are claims in litigation, not court findings. Declining a temporary order is procedural and does not rule the operation lawful. Operation scale figures vary by source and are attributed.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported contextSecondary source

PBS News: A second U.S. citizen was killed by federal forces in Minneapolis. Here's what we know

PublisherPBS News
ProvesReported context: two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during the Minneapolis enforcement operation in January 2026; the county medical examiner classified the second death as a homicide, a manner-of-death finding rather than a legal conclusion, and investigations continued.
Does not proveLegal culpability, which courts and prosecutors decide. Accounts of the circumstances are disputed between the federal government and witnesses, and each characterization is attributed.
Published
Accessed
Reported by local media · Reported court outcomeSecondary source

MPR News: Vance Boelter sentenced in Minnesota lawmaker shootings

PublisherMPR News
ProvesReported context: the man who killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman and wounded Senator John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman in June 2025 pleaded guilty to federal charges and was sentenced on July 23, 2026 to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years.
Does not proveNothing here connects any candidate or party to the violence. Included only as verified-reported civic context on political violence and public service.
Published
Accessed
Corrections

Corrections and next steps

See something outdated or wrong?
This is a developing race file. If a status, date, or source looks off, flag it with a link to the official record.
Next review is scheduled for August 12, 2026, the day after the state primary, to record reported results with certification pending. A further review is required after the August 18, 2026 State Canvassing Board meeting, when certified primary results establish the nominees.
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