As Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) prepares to embark on a town hall tour across Minnesota’s GOP turf, the House Democrat told us she is just weeks away from announcing whether she’ll run for the state’s open Senate seat.
Judging by her political activity and recent statements, Craig sure sounds like a Senate candidate in the making. If so, Craig would become a top contender in the field jockeying to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Over the next two weeks, Craig will look to expand her statewide presence in Minnesota by slamming President Donald Trump’s economic record in districts where she claims Republican incumbents have ignored their voters.
“I work with Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber when I can on specific policy issues that are right for Minnesota, but it’s chicken shit not to show up and do a town hall to your constituents,” Craig told us in an interview.
Craig will begin with her own town hall in Minnesota’s 2nd District before holding events in the districts represented by her four GOP delegation members.
The Minnesota Democrat is already touting her bipartisan bonafides – a move that could boost her statewide appeal. Craig broke with President Joe Biden on several votes while he was president and also had Trump sign bills she led during his first term. Craig was also the first swing district Democrat who called on Biden to step aside last cycle over concerns about his age.
“My entire philosophy as a member of Congress has been to support an administration when I believe they’re right for the people of Minnesota,” Craig said.
The town hall tour is the latest step in Craig’s rapidly ascendant political career. Craig flipped a Republican-held seat in the 2018 midterms and has consistently won tough elections in her battleground district.
Craig was elected the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee last year — an impressive feat in a House Democratic Caucus leadership structure dominated by senior members.
Primary dynamics: If Craig enters the Democratic primary, her top opponent will be Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who has already won the endorsements of former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Flanagan has held a dozen “kitchen table conversations” — the majority in GOP districts — to hear directly from voters across the state in the months since announcing her candidacy. By Monday, Flanagan will have held events in all eight of Minnesota’s congressional districts.
An early poll of the race found Flanagan outpacing Craig by a substantial margin. But Flanagan’s name ID advantage could evaporate if Craig — a formidable fundraiser — begins to spend heavily on TV ads.
