The knives are already out in Minnesota's Democrat establishment as outgoing Senator Tina Smith made her pick for who should inherit her Senate seat – and it's causing a major rift in the party's ranks.
Smith, who's been warming the seat since her 2018 appointment, threw her support behind Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan this week, delivering what amounts to a political slap in the face to Rep. Angie Craig, who enters the race with serious fundraising muscle and multiple key endorsements already locked up.
This early power play reveals just how fractured the Minnesota Democrat machine really is. While Republicans are unified behind President Trump's America First agenda, Democrats can't even agree on who should represent their increasingly radical platform in the Senate.
Money vs. Machine Politics
Craig brings the kind of deep-pocket donor network that usually wins Democrat primaries, but Smith's endorsement signals the party establishment has other plans. It's a classic case of insider politics trying to override the will of voters – and their wallets.
Flanagan, currently serving as Tim Walz's lieutenant governor, represents the progressive wing that's pushed Minnesota further left on everything from immigration to energy policy. Her potential elevation to the Senate would be another victory for the radical elements driving the Democrat Party off a cliff.
"This endorsement shows how out of touch the Democrat establishment is with what Minnesotans actually want," said one GOP strategist familiar with the race.
Meanwhile, Republicans are watching this Democrat civil war with interest, knowing that primary fights often leave the eventual winner damaged and cash-poor heading into the general election.
With Trump's coattails likely to be strong in 2026, and Minnesota voters increasingly frustrated with Democrat policies that have made their state less safe and less prosperous, this Senate seat might be more competitive than Democrats want to admit.
Will Minnesota voters reward another establishment pick, or is this the year they finally reject the failed policies that have turned the Land of 10,000 Lakes into just another liberal disaster zone?