Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig announced on Tuesday that she will pursue a bid for a Senate seat in 2026 rather than a fifth term in the House.
Craig is among the DFL contenders for the seat that will be open in next year’s election after Sen. Tina Smith decided against another campaign. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen are also seeking the party nod.
In a launch video heaving on the word “fight,” Craig played up her humble upbringing as an example of personal grit.
“I know what it’s like to be knocked down and counted out, to be the underdog. I grew up in a mobile home park — raised by a single mom,” she said. “Nobody gave us much of a chance.”
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Craig is a former reporter and then a communications executive at St. Jude’s Medical. She was the first LGBTQ+ person elected to represent Minnesota in Congress and she was the first lesbian mother to serve in Congress.
Rep. Angie Craig and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith cheer during Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs Semifinals between the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
Craig, 53, won’t be starting from scratch as she enters the contest because she’ll be able to tap into an existing campaign account and a fundraising list honed after years of being in competitive races in the 2nd Congressional District, defeating a Republican incumbent in 2018 to get there.
In the announcement, Craig said the country has “a fight on its hands right now” with President Donald Trump taking a slash-and-burn approach to institutions people rely on “and a cowardly Republican Party rolling over and letting it all happen.”
At last check, Craig had $1 million in her campaign fund; that’s nearly three times as much as Flanagan had at her disposal as of April 1 and four times more than López Franzen.
Retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and 2024 GOP Senate nominee Royce White are both running on the Republican side. Several others in the GOP are also considering campaigns.
During her time in office, Craig has pressed for more affordable access to prescription drugs. She’s the ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture.
She hasn’t hesitated to buck her party, voting with Republicans last year on a law that gave authorities more power to detain immigrants in the country without proper documentation. And she proudly touted past endorsements from law enforcement groups at a time when other Democrats kept their distance.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, left, speaks at a town hall meeting at Lakeville South High School on Monday, April 14, along with several DFL state lawmakers.
Dana Ferguson | MPR News
Over the past couple of weeks, Craig has held town hall events around the state — including in districts represented by her Republican colleagues — to get to learn more about Minnesotans’ top concerns and to push back on actions from Trump and his latest administration.
Four Minnesota Republicans in the U.S. House have filed an ethics complaint against Craig over the town halls, accusing her of misusing official resources to put them on. Craig denies that and has said her campaign funds were used to pay for travel and event costs.
Craig’s run could open up a competitive race for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District seat. While she has notched larger margins of victory in her reelection bids, the southeast metro district which runs from Eagan and South St. Paul down past Northfield has been viewed as a competitive one in recent elections.
It also broadens the DFL field vying for the party’s endorsement next year.
A nominating convention is expected in May or June of 2026, but a primary challenge could occur in August of next year if multiple candidates opt to stay in the race.
Craig and her wife, Cheryl, live in Eagan. They have four adult sons.
