Pressure is mounting on Minnesota’s Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to abandon her Senate bid as a massive fraud scandal continues to shake the state.
Flanagan, who has served alongside Gov. Tim Walz since 2019, is being urged by GOP Senate candidate Adam Schwarze to step aside, Fox News reported. Schwarze’s call comes on the heels of Walz’s decision to drop his re-election campaign amid the same controversy.
Schwarze, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, didn’t mince words in a recent press release. He argued, “In the military, if your squad fails the mission, you certainly don’t get a promotion,” pointing to Flanagan’s shared responsibility with Walz for what he calls a failure in leadership.
That scandal, described as potentially the largest COVID-era fraud scheme in the nation, has implicated over 90 individuals, mostly from Minnesota’s Somali community, since 2022. Estimates from the U.S. attorney suggest the stolen funds could range between $1 billion and a staggering $9 billion through schemes involving meal programs, housing, daycare, and Medicaid services.
Flanagan’s critics, including Schwarze, highlight her inaction as taxpayer money vanished under her watch. They question why someone tied so closely to Walz, who stepped back from his own race, should advance to a higher office.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, representing Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, echoed this sentiment in a sharp critique. He stated, “Both of these candidates sat idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking taxpayers in Minnesota,” lumping Flanagan with another Democratic contender, Rep. Angie Craig.
The lieutenant governor’s history with Walz stretches back to 2006, when she advised him during his successful congressional run. She later became his sole pick for lieutenant governor, a partnership that critics now see as a liability given the unfolding fraud crisis.
Walz himself praised their dynamic in 2020, saying, “Every major decision she has been there from the beginning and helps me see about them differently and think about them differently.” But that shared perspective is now a double-edged sword as accountability questions pile up.
Schwarze isn’t buying the idea of Flanagan as a fresh face for Minnesota. In a video on X, he pressed, “Why is Flanagan silent on all these acts, why has Flanagan not said anything?”
Amid the criticism, Flanagan has made public gestures, like appearing on a Somali TV station at a mall wearing a hijab to show solidarity with Minnesota’s Somali community. She called them part of the “fabric” of the state, even as federal crackdowns on the fraud schemes continue targeting members of that same community.
While her supporters might see this as outreach, detractors view it as a tone-deaf move during a crisis of trust. It sidesteps the core issue of oversight failures that allowed such massive theft to occur on her watch.
Schwarze keeps the heat on, questioning in his video, “Why should Flanagan be promoted to the U.S. Senate while Walz is resigning?” His point lands as a challenge to voters: reward failure, or demand better?
The broader fallout from this scandal has Minnesotans reeling over the sheer scale of wasted resources. Schwarze’s push for “holistic reform and holistic leadership change” taps into a frustration with entrenched politicians who seem more reactive than proactive.
Flanagan’s campaign has yet to respond to these latest salvos, leaving her silence to speak volumes for some. As a frontrunner, she can’t avoid the shadow of Walz’s exit and the billions lost under their joint administration.
The road ahead for Minnesota’s Senate race just got thornier. Voters now face a clear choice between doubling down on familiar faces or seeking a hard reset to restore faith in governance.