U.S. Representative Angie Craig – Photo: Official Portrait
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), an out lesbian who entered Congress after flipping a Republican-held district in 2018, has lost her bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Craig, 54, was widely considered the more moderate candidate in the race against Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, 46.
Flanagan, who won the primary by nearly 20 points, positioned herself as the progressive candidate at a time when much of the Democratic Party’s energy and enthusiasm is coming from its left wing. She earned endorsements from U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tina Smith — who is retiring from the seat — as well as Minneapolis-area Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Craig, the ranking member of the powerful House Agriculture Committee, argued that she was more electable and less burdened by controversy than Flanagan, Gov. Tim Walz’s running mate. Walz opted not to seek reelection amid investigations into his administration’s handling of widespread fraud in state social service programs.
Seeking to emphasize her liberal credentials, Craig highlighted her work with the Monopoly Busters Caucus, opposition to congressional stock trading, and support for social safety net programs. But she faced sustained criticism for voting for the Laken Riley Act, a federal law requiring the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for or charged with certain crimes.
That vote became one of Craig’s critics’ chief lines of attack, especially after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed two Minnesotans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who had protested the agency’s enforcement tactics. Critics have accused ICE of excessive aggression, a lack of transparency, and violating people’s civil rights — including those of American citizens.
Anger over ICE’s perceived lack of accountability intensified after the Trump administration deployed thousands of agents to Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge, an initiative to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants. Although Craig said she regretted her vote because the law had been used to justify escalating ICE operations, her reversal failed to blunt the criticism.
“I regret giving the Trump administration an additional inch when it comes to immigration enforcement in this country,” Craig told Metro Weekly in a July 31 cover interview. “Look, I’m not afraid to say when I screw up. I know that my voters have always expected me to be honest with them, and I’ve done it even when it’s hard. That’s why I penned an op-ed explaining why I voted for the bill in the first place and expressing that I do regret that vote.”
Both women largely downplayed the historic nature of their candidacies. Craig would have become the third out lesbian to serve in the U.S. Senate, after Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and former California Sen. Laphonza Butler. Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, would become the first Native American woman to serve in the Senate. She now faces Republican nominee Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, in the general election.
It remains unclear what Craig’s political future holds. Some have speculated that she could be appointed to the Senate if Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wins the gubernatorial election, although Craig may not be Klobuchar’s preferred choice. Her willingness to pursue leadership positions without “waiting her turn” has previously ruffled feathers within the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Craig’s argument that she was more electable in a general election failed to persuade primary voters, who chose Flanagan by a margin of 59% to 39.4%.
Nonetheless, Craig has proven to be a team player, quickly and enthusiastically backing her party’s nominee at a time when other conservative or moderate Democrats have badmouthed the party’s nominees in other states.
“Peggy Flanagan’s commitment to Minnesota and dedication to improving the lives of everyone around her is admirable — I offer her my wholehearted support,” the congresswoman wrote on X. “Michele Tafoya is a threat to our democracy — it’s time for Minnesota to come together and keep this seat blue.”
In neighboring Wisconsin, Congressman Mark Pocan, who is gay, beat back a primary challenger by 88% to 12%, winning all five counties in his district. Pocan, one of the most vocal opponents of Trump and the MAGA movement, represents a safe Democratic seat in the Madison area.
In Congress, Pocan has been one of the most vocal proponents of the Equality Act, a sweeping bill that would prohibit various forms of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. He garnered criticism in 2021 after calling some congressional colleagues who voted against the bill “bigots.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who is challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary, apologized for the hurt caused by controversial remarks he made about transgender athletes following Kamala Harris's loss in the 2024 presidential election.
Moulton, 47, and Markey, 80, sparred during an August 3 debate aired on Boston PBS affiliate WGBH ahead of the September 1 primary. WGBH News' Adam Reilly asked Moulton about comments he made to The New York Times in 2024, attributing Democrats' electoral losses to positions on hot-button cultural issues that he argued were out of step with most Americans.
Gay congressional candidate Scott Wiener was confronted and pursued by a group of attendees at San Francisco's Trans March, who denounced the state senator over his support for Israel's continued existence -- as part of a two-state solution -- and his pro-housing development policies.
Video filmed on June 26 by Dimitry Yakoushkin -- who, according to his posts on X, identifies as "queer" -- shows Wiener being confronted at the annual rally for transgender rights.
"Scott, I think your legislation on trans issues, and specifically, your legislation, specifically, protecting queers on the sex offender registry (sic) is fantastic. Like, I really applaud you for that," Yakoushkin says as Wiener begins walking away from the march.
Minneapolis has repealed its nearly four-decade ban on gay bathhouses after the City Council voted 9-2 to approve two technical amendments to the city code effectively repealing the prohibition on bathhouses and adult sex venues.
The original ban was imposed in 1988 as part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV and reduce the number of AIDS cases, which had surged among men who have sex with men.
But in recent years, advocates have urged city leaders to repeal the 1988 ordinance, arguing that advances in HIV prevention have made it easier to protect people from contracting the virus.
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