With Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) announcing that she will not seek reelection in 2026, and Democrats in the Land of 10,000 Lakes are scrambling to throw their hats in the ring for the wide open seat.

That includes out Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), who has been in Congress since she first won election in 2018.

Related

Lesbian Rep. Angie Craig took this hunky photo tradition & made it queer
She’s not the first female Democrat in her state to recognize the work firefighters do.

“I am giving serious consideration to the open Senate seat in Minnesota,” she posted on X yesterday.

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“I’ll be talking to Minnesotans in the weeks ahead about the best way to continue to serve my community and will make a decision in the near future.”

Craig flipped her district from red to blue when she won her first election in 2018, a sign of Minnesota’s Second Congressional District’s slow movement to the left after it went Republican in the 2016 presidential election — the district largely voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

Craig is currently the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

If she runs in the Democratic primary for the open Senate seat, she could face some stiff competition. Gov. Tim Walz (D) is also reportedly considering a run, according to an unnamed source who spoke with Axios.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) already announced her intention to run for the seat on Instagram.

Both Flanagan and Walz have had success in statewide Minnesota elections already, unlike Craig, who worked in human resources and communications before running for Congress. And two of Minnesota’s other House reps — Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Kelly Morrison (D-MN) — are also both considering runs, according to Axios.

If Craig wins both the primary and the general election, she would join Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as the only other out LGBTQ+ senator. That is, if one of two queer rising stars in Michigan — either former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg or state Attorney General Dana Nessel — don’t win the race for their state’s Senate seat in 2026 as well. The two dominated an early poll for the Democratic primary for that Senate seat.

Just several months ago, there were three out LGBTQ+ members of Congress. Out Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) held her seat only for the period following the passing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) until an election could be held and resigned quietly at the end of 2024. Out Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) did not seek reelection in 2024.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.