Retiring Senator Tina Smith Backs Far-Left Peggy Flanagan

Minnesota's outgoing Senator Tina Smith has made her pick in the hotly contested 2026 Senate primary and it’s not the moderate with a strong record in the House. Instead, Smith threw her support behind far-left Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, aligning herself with the most radical wing of the Democratic Party and sparking deeper fractures within the party’s already splintered ranks.

In a move that stunned political observers, Smith who just last year promised not to weigh in on her successor released a video ahead of Minnesota’s precinct caucuses endorsing Flanagan. Her reasoning? Opposition to what she called the Trump administration’s “terrorizing” immigration enforcement, a phrase that speaks volumes about her priorities.

Flanagan, who proudly brands herself a “progressive fighter,” welcomed the nod and vowed to carry Smith’s agenda to Washington. Translation: more open borders, more virtue signaling, and more federal overreach into states like Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Smith’s about-face only adds to the hypocrisy. Last February, she stated, “It is not my job to pick my successor.” Apparently, that principle lasted less than a year.

Let’s break down what this endorsement really signals:

• The radical base is tightening its grip on the Democratic Party, with Flanagan now endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and disgraced former senator Al Franken.

• Moderate voices like Rep. Angie Craig are being sidelined, despite out-raising Flanagan nearly 2-to-1 in the final quarter of 2025 and entering the new year with nearly five times as much cash on hand.

• The issue of immigration has become a litmus test, with Flanagan attacking Craig for supporting the bipartisan Laken Riley Act a bill aimed at enforcing immigration law after the murder of a young woman by an illegal alien.

This is where things get dangerous. Flanagan accuses Craig of backing “legislation which strips immigrants of due process,” referring to the Laken Riley Act, which let’s be clear was written to protect American citizens. If ensuring public safety and enforcing immigration law is now off-limits in the Democratic Party, what does that say about its direction?

Craig, for her part, hasn’t stayed silent. She hit back hard, calling out Flanagan’s distortions and highlighting her own efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable like introducing articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem over enforcement failures in Minneapolis.

But let’s not pretend this is just about a Senate race. What’s unfolding in Minnesota is a microcosm of a national struggle: the Democratic Party is in the midst of an identity crisis, pulled between a loud, uncompromising leftist bloc and the few remaining voices of reason who still recognize the importance of law and order.

And Minnesotans are watching closely. Public polling remains scarce, but with fundraising numbers clearly favoring Craig and Flanagan leaning on elite endorsements instead of grassroots support, the cracks are showing.

Here’s the bottom line: when a retiring senator abandons neutrality to back an anti-border activist with a weak record and far-left platform, it’s not leadership it’s cowardice. Tina Smith’s endorsement isn’t about who can serve Minnesota best; it’s about catering to the loudest voices in her party’s base.

Democrats are learning the hard way: you can’t govern from the fringe and expect to win the center.

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