Minnesota's candidates for the Senate seat that will become vacant with the departure of Senator Tina Smith have been determined for the midterm election in November. In the Democratic primary, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan defeated six rivals, winning 59% of the vote.
With 98% of the votes counted in the Democratic primary, Flanagan's closest rival, Angie Craig, had received 39.4%. In the Republican primary, former television sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya emerged from a field of nine candidates, reaching 52% with 99% of the votes counted.
The race for Minnesota's Senate seat is set for November
Flanagan and Tafoya will face each other in November for Minnesota's Senate seat. No Republican candidate has won the seat since 2002.
Flanagan's candidacy received the support of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the leaders of the progressive movement within the Democratic Party. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's support for Democratic candidates on a similar political trajectory to Sanders has also renewed debate over ideological shifts within the party.

AIPAC donation debated in primary
Angie Craig's campaign received a $710,000 donation from AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group. Flanagan, meanwhile, announced during her campaign that she would not accept donations from AIPAC.
As Israel policy and campaign donations provided by pro-Israel groups to Democratic candidates were debated within the party, the issue became one of the main topics in Minnesota's primary race.