Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announces run for U.S. Senate, Rep. Ilhan Omar considering

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said Thursday she will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, the first Democrat to jump into what could be a crowded field to replace outgoing Sen. Tina Smith.

Flanagan made her announcement within a few hours after Smith, a fellow Democrat, said she would not seek re-election next fall. Smith’s decision set up an open race for one of the state’s two Senate seats for the first time in nearly two decades.

“I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for the United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state,” Flanagan posted on social media.

She could face a potentially crowded field of Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose office said she’s exploring a run. U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon have also been encouraged to run, sources said, and Gov. Tim Walz hasn’t ruled out a try.

On the Republican side, former NBA player and activist Royce White has already declared he plans to seek the party’s nomination. But other conservatives could enter the race now that the seat is open.

State Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, said she’s considering running, and Republican Sen. Karin Housley of Stillwater said she hasn’t ruled out a try.

Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Smith — his lieutenant governor — to the Senate in 2017 to replace Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who resigned following sexual misconduct allegations.

Flanagan declined interview requests Thursday but praised Smith for “paving the way for so many women like me throughout her entire career.”

“She uses her voice to fiercely defend the people of Minnesota,” she said.

Flanagan, a former state legislator, has twice been elected lieutenant governor alongside Walz, who is also considering a third campaign for governor.

It isn’t clear if he would run again with Flanagan following an apparent falling out after his failed vice presidential run. The two stopped appearing in public together and weren’t speaking in private either, sources close to the governor’s office told the Minnesota Star Tribune in December.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Walz’s team wasn’t pleased with steps Flanagan had taken to assume the governorship, conferring with potential key hires and preparing for a possible 2026 run if Walz had won in November.

Neither Walz nor Flanagan would answer questions when asked if they would run together again.

A spokesman for Omar said she’s received calls and texts encouraging her to run for Smith’s seat and “will be talking with Minnesotans about the future of the Senate seat and DFL Party in Minnesota.” Omar has represented the Fifth District in Congress since 2019 and is deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Craig, who is serving her fourth term representing Minnesota’s Second Congressional District, handily won re-election to the swing seat last fall over Republican Joe Teirab.

In a statement, Craig praised Smith’s leadership in the Senate, calling her a “true public servant.” Asked if she’s considering a Senate run, she said she’s “honored to serve the state of Minnesota, and I’ll continue to do that in the best way I can,” adding, “but today is about Tina Smith.”

Other prominent lawmakers quickly took themselves off the list of potential candidates. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s campaign said he’s not seeking the seat, and Carter posted on X that he’s “excited to re-announce my campaign for re-election as Mayor of Saint Paul!”

Former U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who unsuccessfully challenged former President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries, said he wouldn’t run for Smith’s seat or for governor.

GOP U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer posted on X that he’s “focused on doing the job I was elected to do and that is serving the great people of Minnesota’s Sixth District here in Congress.”

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to win a Minnesota statewide race, said in an email that the open seat is “a prime opportunity for Minnesota Republicans to select a strong statewide candidate.” However, he said, he doesn’t plan to run himself.

In a post on X, Franken thanked Smith for her service and appeared to rule out a run himself.

“As DFLers, we are lucky to have a deep bench of people who are guided by Paul Wellstone’s words: We all do better when we all do better,” Franken said.

“I look forward to supporting the candidate we nominate to work on behalf of Minnesotans in Washington.”