Angie Craig

The next major stop in the fight between moderate and progressive Democrats will come in Minnesota, where a competitive Senate primary on Tuesday has been shaped by the Trump administration’s deadly immigration crackdown and a fraud scandal that rocked the Democratic-run state government.

The race between Representative Angie Craig, a moderate who represents a purple suburban district in Congress, and Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s progressive lieutenant governor, will offer the latest test of left-wing energy in the Democratic Party as it strives to flip the Senate.

The contest, which has become one of the most expensive Senate primaries in state history, comes a week after Dr. Abdul El-Sayed eked out a victory in Michigan’s Senate primary, giving a lift to progressives.

Like that race, the Minnesota primary reflects the identity crisis that has shaken the party since it lost control of the White House and the Senate in 2024.

After unseating a Republican incumbent in 2018, Ms. Craig, 54, has comfortably held on to her seat by working across the aisle and by wielding significant influence over agriculture policy. That record, she says, makes her the strongest bet to keep the seat of the retiring Senator Tina Smith in Democratic hands.

Ms. Flanagan, 46, who is backed by Ms. Smith and by progressive leaders like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has staked out positions that appeal to the party’s liberal flank, including cutting military aid to Israel and establishing the single-payer health care system known as Medicare for all. She has billed herself as the candidate who favors sweeping change over incrementalism.

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