KAXE contacted every candidate up to three times using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
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KAXE's Primary Election Guide only includes races where enough candidates filed to trigger a primary. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else will be on the ballot in November.
About this race
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is retiring. She has represented Minnesota in Washington since 2018, when she was appointed after Sen. Al Franken resigned.
The winner of this primary will face the winner of the Republican primary and independent candidates in the general election in November.
Remember: In the primaries, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. If you vote for candidates from more than one party, your vote won't be counted. You decide which party you will vote for, as Minnesota doesn't have political party registration.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the candidates
Party endorsed? No
Age on Election Day: 73
Community: Minneapolis
Employment: Attorney, 95% retired
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
18 years high level involvement in the DFL, followed by over 20 years in independent politics. Campaign treasurer for Gov. candidate Tim Penney (2002) and State Sen. John Brandl (1986-90). Details and a few testimonials online.
Why are you running?
To restore a United States of America that is muscular, confident, compassionate, and prudent. Unfortunately, right now our politics and culture are being marinated in the wrong kinds of sauces: fear, resentment, hedonism, and desperately reckless urges to gamble.
Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?
I have resolved, to the greatest extent possible, to avoid specific criticism of other primary candidates. But from what I have heard so far, they seem to be addressing the passing concerns of the moment instead of articulating the broad goals that I addressed my answer, immediately above.
What are your top three priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
1. If the Senate votes are available, impeach/remove/disqualify the vice president (first), the president, and the five supreme court justices that have greenlit the president's criminality.
2. Raise taxes on incomes above $300,000 – and on various financial and property transactions – sufficiently to close the federal budget deficit and pay off the national debt in 10-15 years; WHILE restoring 45 years of cuts to social benefits, improving access to health care, and replenishing our military capacity to resist tyranny worldwide.
3. Highly tax cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence operations, particularly as to their energy usage, and closely regulate artificial intelligence.
(I list four more items online, and the list is still incomplete!)
What immigration policies do you support?
Reform and enforcement go hand in hand. One will not succeed without the other. We are already lacking workers, and like the rest of the world we have been below the population replacement rate for nearly a half century. We will soon be competing with other countries for immigrants. But I demand that we resist so-called caravans and other forms of invasion with whatever level of force will be effective.
And PS, a big detail: porn performers are now getting virtually unlimited visas to work and live in the US. See for example, https://nationalimmigrationlawyers.com/sex-sells-and-it-qualifies-how-onlyfans-creators-are-winning-o-1b-visas/. Curbing and reversing the pornificaiton of our culture, while honoring our Bill of Rights, is my fifth priority addressed online.
Editor’s note: Social media influencers and digital creators have had success applying for an exclusive work visa that was designed for celebrities. Anecdotally, some immigration attorneys have said they’ve represented OnlyFans creators who have successfully obtained said visas.
How would you work to reduce the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural communities?
Raise and spend the money!! Our first child was born at Rice Memorial in Willmar. One of the greatest lies we have been told since the Reagan era is that we lack the resources to address these needs.
Many Minnesotans are struggling to afford their basic needs. How do you plan to help them?
Ditto above. My fourth priority is listed online as follows: "Restore both the financial rewards for and the dignity of (and the opportunity for!) hourly labor. Simultaneously, give our new generations of adults an economic prospect that does not require them to rely on gambling to secure their futures." Equalize the benefits of cheap overseas labor with consistent and fairly calculated tariffs at our ports of entry. Again, details are online.
I would prefer that cash welfare benefits reward performance requirements such as regular school attendance, with additional rewards for excellence.
Website: angiecraig.com
Party endorsed? No
Age on Election Day: 54
Community: Minnesota's Second Congressional District
Employment: Congresswoman, Minnesota's Second Congressional District
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
I’m a proud Minnesotan. My wife and I moved to Minnesota in part because we could be a family. I’m proud to have represented the Second District for nearly eight years and would be honored to serve the state of Minnesota in the United States Senate.
I grew up in a mobile home park and was raised by a single mom. Working two jobs, I helped put myself through state college. I started my career as a newspaper reporter and worked my way up over 20 years in business, eventually leading a workforce of 16,000 for a major Minnesota manufacturer.
I’m married to a former Minnesota middle school teacher, Cheryl. We are mothers to four amazing adult men and grandmothers to three young grandsons.
Why are you running?
I’m running because I know what it’s like to be an underdog and counted out. And I don’t want Minnesotans to feel like the American Dream is out of reach. I’m running to stand up to Donald Trump and this administration’s authoritarian power grab. I’m running to deliver on key issues like: creating a tax system that helps the middle class and not Trump’s billionaire buddies, childcare that’s affordable, and ensuring healthcare is affordable by finally passing a public option. But since Day 1, I’ve also been focused on fixing a broken Washington. That means overturning Citizens United. Banning members of Congress from trading and owning stock—and banning them from becoming lobbyists after they’ve left office which was one of the first bills I ever introduced. Because we deserve leaders that work for us and not their biggest donors.
Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?
I flipped a Republican congressional seat and helped take back Congress in 2018. During my time in Congress, I have taken on the powerful – to fight for what’s right. I’ve taken on Big Pharma – writing legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
I’ve stood up to corporate monopolies that are jacking up costs. I’ve worked to expand apprenticeship and job training programs and fought like hell on behalf of family farmers. I’ve worked to address the mental health and fentanyl epidemic in our country and pushed to ban members of Congress from trading stocks, becoming lobbyists and pushed for campaign finance reform.
I am ready to take on the Trump administration’s policies that are hurting working folks in our country and take the fight to Republicans. In the Senate, my focus will be on lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and fixing a broken Washington.
What are your top three priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
We need to lower the cost of health care in this country. I’ve already passed legislation to cap the cost of insulin for seniors at $35/month, but we need to expand that to all individuals and extend the ACA Tax Credits. We also must enact Medicare for all who want it, a public option.
I also am committed to passing the PRO Act so it is easier for people to organize and collectively bargain because labor built the middle class in Minnesota.
Finally, we must invest in public education. Specifically, we need to fully fund IDEA (special education) and hold up the federal government’s end of the deal to stop the drain on local schools’ budgets.
What immigration policies do you support?
I believe that we must uphold the rule of law and ensure people receive due process. We need an immigration system that protects our borders and rewards those who work hard, pay taxes or serve in the military – I understand that immigration is critical to our country’s economic prosperity. I am fighting to pass comprehensive immigration reform that creates a legal immigration system and asylum processes that are fast, fair, and final and provides a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers, including the American Dream and Promise Act. I’ve opposed Operation Metro Surge and voted against funding Donald Trump’s ICE and introduced Articles of Impeachment against Kristi Noem.
How would you work to reduce the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural communities?
I fought against the cuts in the Republican One Big Ugly Bill. I’ve introduced legislation to repeal those cuts to Medicaid that are hurting our rural economies and closing rural hospitals. I also believe we must permanently extend the ACA Tax Credits and move to “Medicare for all who want it.”
I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done to lower the cost of health care in Congress including capping the cost of insulin at $35/month for seniors and allowing Medicare to finally negotiate prescription drug prices.
Many Minnesotans are struggling to afford their basic needs. How do you plan to help them?
In addition to fighting to lower the cost of health care, I believe we need to take on the corporate monopolies that are jacking up the cost of everything in our lives, which is why I founded the Monopoly Busters Caucus in Congress.
I’ve introduced legislation to lower gas prices by allowing year-round sale of E15. In Congress, I’ve opposed the Republican cuts to SNAP and have introduced legislation to repeal those cuts, which are harming our rural communities and urban alike.
For our seniors in particular, I wrote the bill to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits and have fought tooth and nail against cuts to Social Security.
Website: peggyflanagan.com
Party endorsed? Yes
Age on Election Day: 47
Community: St. Louis Park
Employment: Lt. Governor of Minnesota
Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.
My life taught me what’s possible when people are given a fair shot. Public programs helped us get by, and I’ve spent my career fighting and delivering for Minnesotans so they have the same opportunities I did.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota, I became the youngest person ever elected to the Minneapolis School Board, trained thousands of grassroots organizers through Wellstone Action, led the Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, was a member of the Minnesota House, and now serve as Lieutenant Governor. When my daughter was a baby on my hip, I led the fight to raise wages. Then I fought to establish paid family and medical leave, provide free school meals for kids, pass one of the nation’s strongest child tax credits, and lower the cost of insulin. I’m honored to have retiring U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s endorsement, who made the same journey from Lieutenant Governor to Senate.
Why are you running?
I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I want to help Minnesotans afford the lives they want to live.
I grew up raised by a single mom, feeling like the bottom could fall out at any moment. We relied on programs like Section 8 housing, SNAP, childcare assistance, and Medicaid to get by. Too many Minnesotans are doing everything right and still falling behind.
That’s why I will fight to pass Medicare for All and end prior authorization by insurance companies, raise the federal minimum wage, pass universal childcare, ban Wall Street from buying up neighborhoods, give farmers the right to repair their own equipment, and hold ICE accountable and fix our broken immigration system. And we’ve got to take on the special interests who are corrupting our government.
All of these efforts will put money back in Minnesotans pockets and get us closer to the future we deserve.
Why should voters choose you to advance to the general election?
Right now, too many of our elected officials are beholden to corporations, special interests and the billionaires behind them. I’m the only candidate for U.S. Senate who isn’t taking corporate PAC money because I want Minnesotans to trust I work for them. Big corporations and billionaires already have plenty of representation in Washington and they’re spending millions against me because they know my opponents will do their bidding. Whether it’s the crypto industry, AIPAC, big oil, the health insurance companies or other special interests, they’re standing in the way of the future Minnesotans deserve. I’m running to take on corporate greed and Donald Trump, make government work for working people again, and prove that in Washington, politicians should be reflective of the people they represent – not special interests.
What are your top three priorities, if elected? Please describe specific policy goals.
My top priority is making Congress work for working people instead of corporations, billionaires, and special interests. That starts with banning corporate PAC money, getting dark money out of our elections, overturning Citizens United, and having higher ethical standards so our elected officials reflect the people they represent – not corporations.
Second, I’ll fight for Medicare for All because in the richest country on earth health care should be a human right. Until we get there, I’ll fight to lower the cost of all prescription drugs, end insurance company abuses like prior authorization, and restore Medicaid cuts.
Third, I’ll be focused on helping Minnesotans afford the lives they want to live by raising the federal minimum wage, making childcare affordable through universal childcare, investing in affordable housing, banning Wall Street from buying up homes and pricing families out, and protecting Social Security and eliminating the tax on benefits.
What immigration policies do you support?
Our immigration system is broken and Donald Trump’s cruel mass deportation agenda isn’t fixing it. We saw what that looks like firsthand during Operation Metro Surge: families torn apart, legal residents and American citizens detained, communities terrorized, children taken, and two Minnesotans killed. We deserve better. We can have a secure border and effective immigration enforcement without sacrificing due process or human dignity. We should modernize our immigration system, invest in border technology and staffing, reduce backlogs, and create a pathway to legal status and citizenship for people who have built their lives, families, and businesses here. We must honor our commitment to refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution through a fair and lawful process. Immigration has always been part of Minnesota’s story – immigrants make our communities stronger. We need a system that is humane and rooted in safety, dignity, due process, and the rule of law.
How would you work to reduce the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural communities?
Every Minnesotan deserves affordable health care, no matter their ZIP code. I believe health care is a human right, which is why I support Medicare for All. Until we achieve that, we should do everything we can to help people afford their health care. I relied on Medicaid growing up, so I know it’s more than a health insurance program, it’s a lifeline. Rural hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and mental health providers rely on Medicaid funding to keep their doors open. Up to 250,000 Minnesotans could lose coverage under Trump’s Medicaid cuts when they take effect in 2027, but we still have time to restore every dollar before it’s too late. I’ll also fight to rein in insurance company greed by ending prior authorization, lowering prescription drug costs, and ensuring patients and doctors – not insurance companies – make health care decisions.
Many Minnesotans are struggling to afford their basic needs. How do you plan to help them?
Too many Minnesotans are working harder than ever but still falling behind because corporations, billionaires, and special interests have too much power over our politics. We have too many politicians on both sides of the aisle who are funded by the same industries driving up the costs of everything. Donald Trump and Republicans have taken funding for health care and food assistance away from working families to pay for tax breaks for billionaires, while spending billions expanding ICE and funding endless wars. I’m fighting for Medicare for All, lower prescription drug costs, universal childcare, raising the federal minimum wage, protecting Social Security, right to repair for farmers, and banning Wall Street from buying up homes and pricing families out because people deserve more than politicians telling them to settle for less. Minnesotans deserve leaders with the courage to take on powerful interests and actually lower the cost of living.
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Website: billynordforminnesota.com
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
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Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEThe library matched the anonymous matching donation for $30,000 it received in June 2026. A larger fundraising goal is aimed at increasing public hours in 2027. -
Contributed/University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering CenterDue to smoke from Boundary Waters wildfires, the MPCA issued air quality alerts for large parts of Minnesota. The alert lasts until at least Friday, July 16, 2026. -
During the Phenology Report for the week of July 14, 2026 Staff Phenologist John Latimer remarks on blooming basswoods, hawks hunting in harvested fields, and more. -
Contributed/Max Nesterak / Minnesota ReformerThe evidence includes body camera footage, officer statements and the Honda Pilot in which Good was killed, all of which the federal government had previously refused to turn over.
