Powerhouse group of Black women show up to support Peggy Flanagan’s campaign for US Senate seat

Nadia’s Jamaican Kitchen in Brooklyn Park was the place to be on Saturday afternoon.

That’s where a powerhouse group of about a hundred Black women business, nonprofit, media and community leaders got together with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as their guest of honor.

Flanagan, A DFLer, is running to succeed Minnesota’s junior senator, Democrat incumbent Senator Tina Smith, who will be retiring when her term ends in 2026.

On Saturday, she visited with the group, posed for pictures with the women and thanked them individually for backing her candidacy.

A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan is the country's highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office. If elected, she would be the first Native woman to serve in the US Senate.

“I know I didn’t get here on my own. And know that when I get to the United States Senate that I will not be going alone,” Flanagan said. “All of you are coming with me.”

Sheletta Brundidge, one of the organizers of Black Women for Peggy which staged the event, was excited to see luncheon participants get the chance to get to know the BIPOC lieutenant governor a little better.

“It’s well known that Black women have been the most important part of the Democratic Party for years. We get out the vote and get it done,” Brundidge said. “Now we want to solidify our support for Peggy so she can count on us as she heads into this election. We need one of ours representing us in the Senate!”

Flanagan has often shared the story of her own journey. She grew up in a hard working family that relied on public benefits like subsidized housing, SNAP and Medicaid for health insurance.

“My story is a Minnesota story. I’m this kid who grew up on the margins, who people counted out and underestimated for my entire life, and now I can run for the United States Senate!” Flanagan exclaimed.

Flanagan’s message resonated with many of the Black women who attended the luncheon.

“I’m excited for this step for her,” said Vanessa Drews of Chanhassen. “With the current administration and a lot of the things that have happened, I feel like as a single mom,a  Black women with a Black-owned business, people aren’t there to support me. I feel like she will.”

Flanagan’s candidacy arrives at a time when many Black women appear ready once again to roll up their sleeves and flex their collective political muscle to get out the vote for a candidate they back.

“The movement didn’t stop after Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t win. And so it’s who’s next? Who else can we rally behind to make change? We cannot stop,” said Flanagan supporter Leticia Selmon Minneapolis. “If we want our community and our country to get back in that happy space where it feels like we’re being heard, we have to elevate people into office. I’m super proud of Lt. Gov. Flanagan for taking the lead.” 

First as a school board member, then as a legislator and now as part of the Walz-Flanagan administration, Flanagan has built a record in Minnesota for advocating for children and communities of color. She has championed universal free school meals, the child tax credit, housing stability and paid family/sick leave.

She pledged to continue her efforts at the national level and work to reverse policies that don’t benefit working families. 

“I know resiliency is in our bones. We have been through difficult times before and come out on the other side,” Flanagan said. “I want to be able to say, it’s going to be okay. I can’t say that yet. But I can tell you that I am in this with you. We are shoulder-to-shoulder doing this work. Our solutions will come from us.”

Also running for the DFL nomination is U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, the four-term congresswoman in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District. Republicans Royce White, who lost to incumbent DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, and retired Marine and Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze are also vying for the open seat.