Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey endorses Rep. Angie Craig for U.S. Senate

MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is backing Rep. Angie Craig in the U.S. Senate race, earning the congresswoman the support of both mayors from the Twin Cities.

Frey's support comes as endorsements are piling up in the race to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.

Craig is locked in a tight contest with DFL-endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as the two jostle to win a spot on November's ballot.

Frey, a moderate-leaning Democrat and rising star in the party, won a third term last year by overcoming a challenge from the party's left flank.

Craig is in a similar battle against Flanagan, the more progressive candidate.

"Angie is relentless. She's tough, she's tested and she is exactly who we need in Washington," Frey said in a statement first shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune. "I met Angie while working in furtherance of marriage equality. She was a fighter for justice then, and will never quit fighting for what's right."

The Senate primary will be an early test of the direction the party is heading as Democrats rally against President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement crackdown in the state and appear energized to vote.

Flanagan has made Craig's past vote on the Laken Riley Act - legislation allowing undocumented immigrants arrested for certain nonviolent crimes to be detained by federal authorities - her main line of attack against Craig.

Flanagan counts endorsements from Smith, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Rep. Betty McCollum as well as a number of progressive federal and state lawmakers around the country.

Craig is a more centrist Democrat who's held her seat in a tough swing district and has earned the support of St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, more than a dozen labor unions, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, seven senators and House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi.

"I'm honored to have Mayor Frey on my team in this race," Craig said in statement.

But even as both Craig and Flanagan have won support from top Democrats across the state and country, Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota's highest-ranking Democratic politicians, have either avoided picking sides or given just lukewarm endorsements in the contest.

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This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 6:22 PM.