While it wasn't an official announcement, Minnesota Second District Congresswoman Angie Craig (D) appears to be inching even closer towards running for Minnesota's United States Senate seat as Sen. Tina Smith (D) retires before the 2026 election.
Craig handily held the second district in 2024 and represents the state's most diverse mix of conservatives and liberals in her district. She told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar she'll have an announcement about a possible senate run before the end of the month.
"Well, I think this state deserves a fighter, somebody who's ready to stand up and take on this administration and, frankly, ready to work with them if they want to work back across the aisle," Craig said.
So far, she has raised over $1.2 million in 2025's first quarter, her strongest fundraising quarter ever. That money can be transferred from a Minnesota House campaign to a Senate campaign.
Craig also said she is hosting in-person town halls next week in each of the districts held by Minnesota’s Republican members of Congress, further providing a clue that she's exploring a statewide seat. Those districts are Minnesota's First (Brad Finstad), Sixth (Tom Emmer), Seventh (Michelle Fischbach) and Eighth (Pete Stauber).
"You know, at the end of the day, Republicans are gunning for this seat and a lot of seats across Minnesota right now, and the state's moving right, not left," notes Craig. "So we got to do everything we can to hold the Senate seat."
If Craig announces a run for Senate, it'll create a primary race against the current Lt. Governor of Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan, who has already declared she's seeking the seat. Melissa Lopez Franzen, a Democrat and former state Senator, also announced in March she is running for the seat.
On the Republican side, it's been relatively quiet so far. Royce White, a Republican who ran in 2024 for Senate against U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, has indicated he'll run again in 2026.