Peggy Flanagan slams Angie Craig for Laken Riley Act vote
In Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary race, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is criticizing Rep. Angie Craig over her vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 immigration enforcement bill. Flanagan, a progressive, contrasts with Craig, who is more centrist, as they compete too become the Democratic nominee to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Immigration policy has taken center stage due to recent incidents involving U.S. citizens and immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Craig was one of 46 House Democrats and 33 Senate Democrats to support the bill, which mandates detention of illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes untill deportation, a vote she has since backtracked on. Flanagan strongly condemns the bill, linking it to broader issues of border enforcement and immigration trauma, while Craig emphasizes her commitment to immigrant communities and her opposition to Trump-era policies. Both candidates are also focused on reforming ICE operations. The primary is scheduled for August 11, with polls fluctuating between them; Flanagan has faced criticism over the state’s handling of a fraud epidemic, while Craig has gained some endorsements. The race is competitive, with GOP candidate Michele Tafoya leading in polls, amid Minnesota’s recent history of voting Democratic in presidential elections and currently holding two Democratic senators.
In the home stretch of Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary race, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is holding Rep. Angie Craig’s feet to the fire over the congresswoman’s vote to pass the Laken Riley Act in 2025.
Flanagan, a progressive, and Craig, a more centrist candidate, are facing off in a heated primary to see who will be the Democratic nominee in the general election to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN). Immigration policy has become a central issue in the Minnesota midterm elections after the state saw immigration officers kill two U.S. citizens during enforcement activities in Minneapolis early this year.
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Craig was one of 46 House Democrats and 33 Senate Democrats to vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, which cracks down on illegal immigration in the United States in part by requiring federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants charged, arrested, or convicted of theft-related crimes until deportation. Flanagan has continually hit Craig hard over her vote in favor of the immigration enforcement bill, even after Craig backtracked on that vote during the campaign.
“Voting three days into the second Trump administration for Donald Trump’s immigration bill that allowed him to terrorize our communities, the loss of life, the economic impact, the trauma — it’s horrific,” Flanagan said of Craig during a Monday evening debate hosted by MPR News.
Craig addressed the vote again in a Monday interview with the Minnesota Reformer, as the two competitors vie to get the last word on the matter.
“My regret to give them a f***ing inch does drive my commitment to making sure that the Trump administration pays for what they’ve done,” Craig told the outlet. “I will spend the rest of my career ensuring that my immigrant neighbors are able to be part of the fabric of America.”
Both Flanagan and Craig have campaigned on reshaping how Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates in the U.S.
The two women are neck-and-neck in the primary, with polls yo-yoing between the candidates. Flanagan has caught heat during the primary over how Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) administration, of which she is lieutenant governor, has handled the fraud epidemic in the state.
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The primaries are set for Aug. 11. On the GOP side, sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya is leading in primary polling.
The state has voted Democratic in the last three presidential elections and currently has two Democratic senators.
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