Angie Craig Becomes Third Democrat Running for Open Senate Seat in Minnesota
U.S. Representative Craig will compete against Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and former State Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen.
Three Minnesota Democrats are now competing for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2026. U.S. Representative Angie Craig has announced her campaign for the statewide position today. Her launch video can be viewed here. Incumbent Senator Tina Smith, a fellow Democrat, revealed her retirement earlier this year.
The 2026 Senate cycle will see 35 contested races - 33 regular elections and 2 special elections. Republicans currently hold 22 of these seats while Democrats represent the remaining 13. Smith is one of five incumbent Senators to have announced their retirements. Meanwhile, Craig becomes the ninth retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives this cycle, the fourth Democrat to do so, and the eighth leaving to run for a different office.
Craig, 53, has served Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2019. The district covers the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. It contains all of Scott, Dakota, and Le Sueur Counties as well as parts of Rice and Washington Counties. Cottage Grove, Eagan, Hastings, and Lakeville are the major cities in the district.
From 2005 to 2017, Craig worked in the human resources and communications department at St. Jude Medical. In 2016, she was the Democratic nominee for the 2nd District, which was an open race after seven-term U.S. Representative John Kline, a Republican, retired. Republican Jason Lewis kept the secret for his party 46.9-45.2 against Craig. In their 2018 rematch, Craig flipped the seat 52.7-47.1 as part of the year’s Blue Wave. She was re-elected in 2020, 2022, and 2024 - expanding her margin of victory each time.
Since January 2025, Craig has been the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture. As such, she is an ex officio member on all six of the panel’s subcommittees. Notably, she rose to the top of the panel following the 2024 elections by arguing for generational change. She also questioned the ability of former Ranking Member David Scott of Georgia to continue in the job. She received the position in a three-way contest before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee against Scott and Jim Costa of California.
In the Democratic primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota, Craig will compete against Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and former State Senate Minority Leader Melissa López Franzen. Over in the Republican primary, three candidates have also announced their campaigns - 2024 nominee Royce White, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, and real estate agent Marisa Simonetti. Democrats have controlled both Senate seats in Minnesota since July 2009.
Prospective candidates for the 2nd District were waiting for Craig to make her decision on running for the U.S. Senate before entering the race to succeed her in the U.S. House. Possible candidates in the Democratic primary include State Senators Matt Klein and Erin Maye Quade as well as former State Senator Matt Little. Notably, Quade has already endorsed Flanagan’s Senate campaign. In the Republican primary, potential candidates include 2020 and 2022 nominee Tyler Kistner, 2024 nominee Joe Teirab, State Senator Eric Pratt, and attorney Tayler Rahm.
Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District with a 51.9-46.1 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election - making it the state’s most competitive district. That came as Harris was carrying the state 50.9-46.7 in her ultimately unsuccessful national campaign. On the same ballot, Craig over-performed with a 55.5-42.1 victory against Teirab for her final term in the U.S. House.