Angie Craig Senate run to set off political chain reaction
The formal announcement by Congresswoman Angie Craig about plans to run for the U.S. Senate will set off a political chain reaction in both the Senate race and the 2nd District congressional seat she’s leaving behind.
As many as a dozen potential candidates have been waiting for her decision so they can make decisions about their own political futures.
“The Republicans in the 2nd District now have an opportunity to run against a non-incumbent Democrat,” says Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier. “There are a whole bunch of ambitious Democrats who want to be a Congress member and they’ll jump in. So it’s really got a lot of people talking and a lot of candidates contemplating entering that 2nd District race.”
Craig is giving up a congressional seat in a competitive district where she finally had a breakthrough 14-point victory in 2024. Her three previous election victories were between three and five points after losing on her first attempt.
In the nine elections before that, dating back to 2000, three Republicans held that seat while winning by an average of 12 points. Former Congressman John Kline won by as much as 26 points in 2010.
According to the Cook Political Report’s “Partisan Voting Index” of 2025, Minnesota’s 2nd District is rated as leaning +3 points toward Democrats, up from +1 in 2023. It is, by far, considered Minnesota’s most competitive district. The other seven Minnesota districts range from Republicans +6 in the 1st District to the 4th District at Democrats +18.
Then, there’s the U.S. Senate seat now held by the retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
Craig joins Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, former Senate DFL leader Melisa López Franzen, in that race among Democrats who’ve announced so far.
Republicans Royce White and Adam Schwarze have also announced plans to run and filed campaign finance reports. Former Hennepin County Commission candidate Marisa Simonetti also says she’s running.
Schier says all the Senate candidates will have to raise a lot of money to raise statewide name recognition. “If you are unknown and have no funds, you will not be elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota,” he says.
He also expects both parties will try to endorse candidates through the party convention process, but will likely both end up with primary battles that could also be expensive.
“What the endorsement process does in both political parties is pick candidates who have real problems winning elections,” Schier says in explaining why there will likely be primaries.