Minnesota primary is latest Democratic proxy fight for Senate and a test for Trump-backed hopefuls

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The factional fight gripping the Democratic Party goes to Minnesota on Tuesday, when voters will settle another moderate-versus-progressive U.S. Senate primary.

The race between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is playing out in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration surge, which led to the shooting death of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis and galvanized the president’s liberal opposition.

It will again take the temperature of Democratic primary voters a week after progressive Abdul El-Sayed won a bitter and divisive primary in Michigan that fired up the left and fueled anxiety among party leaders that Democrats will alienate moderate swing voters.

Whoever wins the primary for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, as it’s known in Minnesota, will be the frontrunner in November. Minnesota voters haven’t elected a Republican to a statewide office since 2006.

Still, Republicans are hoping a fraud scandal involving the widespread theft of public funds will give them an opening up and down the ballot.

Among the leading GOP candidates for governor is Mike Lindell — the Trump- endorsed pillow purveyor, who has been among the most persistent advocates of the lie that Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden was fraudulent. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in a primary against six other candidates.

Race between Craig and Flanagan shaped by ICE, outside spending

In the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, Craig lined up support from Democratic establishment figures including House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as senators from battleground states.

She pointed to her record of winning tough races in a closely divided House district in the suburban Twin Cities, saying she has the experience to bring the change voters are demanding to Washington.

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Flanagan has the support of leading progressive figures including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. She was also backed by Smith, the retiring incumbent.

The race has been shaped by the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, confrontations that were caught on camera and fueled a backlash to Trump’s immigration policies. Flanagan has highlighted Craig’s vote for the Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill that passed early in Trump’s second term. Craig repudiated her support after Good and Pretti were killed.

U.S. support for Israel and the influence of corporations and wealthy donors have also figured prominently in a race that attracted tens of millions of dollars in spending by allies of both women.

Gov. Tim Walz has declined to endorse either candidate, but late last month his wife, Gwen Walz, endorsed Craig over Flanagan, a move seen as a repudiation of her husband’s running mate and governing partner for two terms.

Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate on the Republican side, though former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya has support from the national GOP. Adam Schwarze, a Marine veteran and Navy SEAL, has the official backing of the state Republican committee and Royce White has an existing profile as a prior candidate, conservative commentator and a brief professional basketball career.

‘MyPillow Guy’ Mike Lindell is running for governor

Republicans have another crowded primary in the race for governor.

Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the “MyPillow Guy.” He has been one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters and a persistent proponent of myths about the 2020 election. He lost a defamation lawsuit last year and was ordered to pay $2.3 million to a former employee of a voting systems company, whom he called a traitor.

Trump’s endorsement carries enormous weight in GOP primaries, and few of his favored candidates have lost so far this year. But some prominent Minnesota Republicans worry Lindell is too toxic with independent voters and will drag down the entire GOP ticket. Even state GOP Chairman Alex Plechash has raised doubts about Lindell’s electability.

Lindell’s primary opponents include state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who has strong backing from GOP elected officials, and businessman Kendall Qualls, who won the Minnesota GOP’s endorsement.

Klobuchar is the leading Democratic candidate for governor.

GOP sees hope despite Minnesota’s long blue streak

No Republican has won a statewide race in Minnesota since Gov. Tim Pawlenty was reelected in 2006, but the state is more closely divided than that history would suggest.

In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Trump here by only 1.5 points, and in 2024, even with Walz on the ticket, Democrat Kamala Harris won the state by only 4 points.

In the state Legislature, Democrats hold just a one-seat majority in the Senate, and the House is split evenly between the parties.

Republicans think the fraud scandal, which led Walz to abandon his plans to run for a third term, gives them a rare opening to make inroads in an otherwise tough environment for the GOP.

At least 65 people have been convicted in a series of overlapping food fraud cases stemming from investigations that began during the Biden administration. One former nonprofit leader was sentenced in May to 42 years in prison in a $250 million fraud case.

Trump pointed to the scandals as justification for launching a massive immigration crackdown that he initially said would focus on the state’s large Somali community.