This primary election season, progressive challengers have given the establishment wing of the Democratic Party a run for its money. From Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members, to DSA-endorsed candidates, to Bernie Sanders allies, the insurgent progressive wing of the party has racked up a historic string victories.

Last night’s primaries in Minnesota were no exception.

While multiple seats are up for reelection, including the governor’s office, all eyes were on Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig, who battled for the Democratic nomination to fill long-time incumbent Tina Smith’s Senate seat. The two candidates perfectly encapsulated the broader battle within the Democratic Party: the traditional establishment wing is desperately trying to maintain its grasp on the party as progressive insurgents claim victory after victory, from New York to Colorado to Michigan.

Immigration, ICE, and Palestine Are Decisive

The issues most decisive in these showdowns have been immigration and Palestine. Unsurprisingly, Flanagan, who took a more progressive stance on both issues, won the night easily, defeating Craig by 20 points. She is expected to win the general election in November and, as a member of the Anishinaabe tribe, will be the first Indigenous woman to sit in the U.S. Senate.

She has served as lieutenant governor of Minnesota since 2019 and represented district 46A in the Minnesota State House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. Her campaign for Senate this year won the endorsement of key figures like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Since she announced her run in February, Flanagan has been favored by anti-ICE activists across the state for her progressive position on immigration. Her campaign website reads:

Peggy believes that ICE is out of control and that we must dismantle the agency and reimagine an immigration system rooted in dignity, safety, and due process for all.

She stated also that Kristi Noem, Greg Bovino, and everyone involved in Operation Metro Surge must be “held accountable” for their “violation of the law and of due process” this winter.

Compare this to Craig’s campaign, which has taken a much more conservative rhetoric concerning immigration, hoping to appeal to the white middle-class voters of suburban and rural Minnesota:

Angie…believes that we must uphold the rule of law and ensure people receive due process. Like most Minnesotans, she knows we need an immigration system that protects our borders and rewards those who work hard, pay taxes or serve in the military – because she understands that immigration is critical to our country’s economic prosperity.

In a moment where one quarter of Minnesotans support abolishing ICE, and 40 percent want drastic reforms to the agency, the statement left many dissatisfied.

The genocide in Palestine has also loomed large over the primaries, and played a key role in the election of progressive figures like Darializa Avila Chevalier, Rashida Tlaib, Donovan McKinney, Abdul El-Sayed, and William Lawrence. But on this issue, Flanagan bucks the progressive trend and embraces a more establishment-friendly stance:

Establishing ongoing peace and stability in the Middle East requires a lasting ceasefire and a two-state solution which allows for a secure Israel and Palestinian self-determination. Peggy would have joined Minnesota Senators Smith and Klobuchar in voting to halt offensive weapons sales to Israel.

Despite this position — which is out of step with the majority of Democratic voters — Flanagan got a leg up on Craig by never taking corporate PAC money, and she has no relationship with AIPAC. While Craig has also tried to distance herself from the organization, she has been endorsed by AIPAC and received funding on many other occasions.

And while in the U.S. House of Representatives, Craig opposed an amendment that would have cut off weapons sales to Israel. When criticized, she said she only voted against the amendment because it was “bad for Palestinians, too.” Clearly, this rhetoric fell flat, and her voting history and AIPAC relationship sunk her campaign.

Ilhan Omar, Omar Fateh, and Amy Klobuchar

The Flanagan vs. Craig race was not the only showdown of the night, though — “Squad” member Ilhan Omar easily won her primary race against challenger Julie Le, an immigration attorney who formerly worked for the Department of Homeland Security, and Omar is expected to maintain her seat in the House of Representatives come November.

Twin Cities DSA-endorsed Omar Fateh also won his primary and is expected to keep his seat representing District 62 in the Minnesota State Senate. Fateh gave Jacob Frey a run for his money last November, when he opposed the incumbent mayor with more left-leaning politics, earning the title “the Zohran of Minneapolis.” Fateh’s success forced the ranked-choice election into a second round of ballot counting, and while Frey kept his seat as mayor, Fateh captured nearly a third of votes.

But progressives did not win every race on Tuesday. In the gubernatorial primary, Senator Amy Klobuchar defeated her challenger by a landslide after receiving the endorsement of current governor Tim Walz. Klobuchar received 89 percent of votes by the end of the night, with the second-place finisher and left-wing challenger Kobey Layne taking only five percent. Layne was running on a pro-union, anti-ICE, Land Back platform, but couldn’t wage a fight against Klobuchar, who is well-loved by the Democratic Party establishment and had huge financial resources on her side.

Minnesotans Must Organize from Below, Without the Democrats

The Minnesota primary results, while mixed, highlight a key theme emerging this primary season: there is immense energy to fight for the interests of the working class and against capitalist exploitation and oppression. But while the victories of insurgent candidates like Flanagan, El-Sayed, and Mamdani represent a progressive phenomenon, they ultimately serve to channel this energy back into the arms of the Democrats.

And as we’ve written many times, the Democratic Party — the graveyard of social movements — is capitalist, imperialist, and Zionist to its core, and cannot be reformed for leftist aims.

The Minnesotans who fought ICE in the streets this winter, and who fought the police in 2020, must use their energy to organize themselves from below and build an organization of the working class, for the working class. We cannot spend any more time fighting for scraps in a capitalist party,

The post Sanders-Backed Flanagan Wins Minnesota Senate Primary, Continuing Progressive Sweep appeared first on Left Voice.

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