Peggy
Flanagan

Peggy Flanagan is a lifelong organizer, advocate, and leader who will bring her experience enacting critical climate and environmental policy as lieutenant governor to the U.S. Senate.

A lifelong Minnesotan, Flanagan was born into an Indigenous and Irish family and is a member of the White Earth Nation. She was elected to the Minneapolis School Board at just 25 years old and later led the Minnesota Children’s Defense Fund and championed efforts to raise the state’s minimum wage. She was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2015, and in 2018 as lieutenant governor alongside former Governor Tim Walz. Flanagan enacted legislation that committed to 100% clean energy by 2040, evaluated cumulative impacts of pollution on environmental justice communities, leveraged federal investments for clean energy, and prioritized tribal consultation and sovereignty. As lieutenant governor, she became the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Minnesota.

As a senator, Flanagan will advance both environmental protections and economic growth by boosting federal investments in clean energy projects and standing up to big corporations. Flanagan is the first Indigenous woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the first Indigenous person to represent Minnesota in Congress.

Flanagan joins the U.S. Senate to fill the seat of retiring Senator Tina Smith, who earned a lifetime score of 97% on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.

“We only have one planet, and we must ensure it’s livable for future generations and address climate change. The innovation, development, and deployment of renewables are critical to energy security in the 21st century and to mitigating the extreme weather impacting us all.” – Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate