Peggy Flanagan

Peggy Flanagan understands what Minnesota families are facing right now – she lived it. Raised by a single mom in St. Louis Park, Peggy’s family was able to make it because of hard work and help from public programs like Section 8 housing, SNAP, and childcare assistance. Medicaid was her health insurance as she dealt with serious asthma that had her in and out of the hospital. Peggy knows Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts to these programs, and so many more, are hurting Minnesota families. She’s running for Senate to fight back.

Born into an Indigenous and Irish family, Peggy is Ojibwe and a member of the White Earth Nation. Her Anishinaabe name means “speaks in a loud and clear voice woman.” She has spent her career using her voice with a loud and clear focus on making life better for Minnesotans.

At just 25, Peggy became the youngest member of the Minneapolis School Board, where she fought to make sure kids of all backgrounds could get a high-quality education. She also served as a trainer for Wellstone Action, training tens of thousands of grassroots activists to find collective power in their communities.

Peggy went on to become the executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota. While in that role, she co-chaired the Raise the Wage Coalition, successfully pushing to raise Minnesota’s minimum wage for the first time in a decade. She also served as a partner at The Management Center, where she advised and trained executives and organizational leaders on effective results-driven management.

In 2015, Peggy was elected to the state legislature, where she led Democrats on child care issues and engaged her colleagues to form the POCI (People of Color and Indigenous) Caucus. During the 2017-18 session, when her party was in the minority, Peggy was one of only two DFLers to successfully chief author a bill that became law. Since becoming Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor in 2019, Peggy has made a difference for families. She helped pass Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave program into law and make investments in education, healthcare, and housing. She’s helping support our family farms and small businesses and is leading the fight to make sure abortion stays legal in Minnesota.

Now, Peggy is running for Senate to stop Donald Trump and the billionaires ransacking our government from making it harder for families, like the one she grew up in, to have a fair shot. At a time when Washington is more rigged than ever, Peggy will be a Senator who has the guts to take on our toughest fights and win for Minnesota families.

Peggy lives in her hometown of St. Louis Park with her husband, Tom, her daughter, Siobhan, and their dog, Reuben. She is a proud graduate of the University of Minnesota.