Black Women for Peggy, a group now 300 sisters strong, is door knocking, calling, emailing, texting, and doing lunch to support Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s run for U.S. Senate.
Flanagan herself is welcoming the backing of the newly formed group.
“It’s important to me to earn the support of Black women who have, frankly, been showing us the way in politics and organizing work for a long time,” Flanagan said.
On Saturday, July 12, Black Women for Peggy will host a luncheon with the lieutenant governor. They will raise money and get to know each other as they break bread together.
“We always start with food,” explained Andrena Seawood, volunteer with Black Women for Peggy. “We’re giving everyone a place to come, and we’ll let it spread organically. We have decided to get behind a good candidate with a moral compass that is not broken, has not been bought, is not off kilter, and is not wavering.”
Flanagan is Minnesota’s 50th Lieutenant Governor, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and currently the country’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office.
A win in 2026 would make Flanagan the first Native American woman in the U.S. Senate.
“We want our young people to know who they are, where they come from, and be proud of their identity, something that is being pushed back against in this moment by people in positions of power,” Flanagan said.
After Flanagan announced her bid for US Senate, many Black women saw her candidacy as an opportunity to support a fellow BIPOC female.
“We want someone who is out rallying for issues, especially in the current state of our democracy,” said Yolanda Pierson, a volunteer with Black Women for Peggy. “As Black women, we’ve always been the backbone of our community. We have to get other BIPOC women in our community who share our challenges to join us.”
Pierson and her husband run Pierson & Sons Trucking. She said that legislation and tariffs from the current administration create issues for their business and their family.
“I have to create a better life for my family, for my community. We have to do something. This is real. If our democracy is at risk, we are all at risk,” Pierson said.
The lunch is a step to mobilize support for Flanagan’s run for Senate and what the lieutenant governor describes as her push to ensure that all Minnesotans thrive.
“Affordability is a huge issue,” said the Lt. Gov. “Folks are worrying about the cost of health care, housing, and childcare. I grew up knowing the bottom could fall out at any moment. There are not enough people representing us in Congress who have that experience and know what it’s like to struggle.”
Flanagan is running to succeed U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who announced in February that she will not run for reelection in 2026. Also vying for the DFL nomination is Smith’s U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, currently serving her fourth term in Congress representing Minnesota’s 2nd District.
Declared Republican candidates include Royce White, who lost to incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, and former Marine and Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.