Democratic Rep. Angie Craig announced Tuesday that she is running for the Senate in Minnesota, a long-time campaign that occupies a crowded primary in Craig, gubernatorial lieutenant governor and former state legislator Craig.

Craig criticized President Donald Trump for “trampling on our rights and freedoms while making profits,” Elon Musk was “an out of control, unelected billionaire trying to control our administration and burn it to the ground” and “a cowardly congressional Republican.”

"It's time to fight back. We have to break the chaos and take them away," Craig said.

Craig herself is a loser who went from growing up in a mobile home to working in college to defeating congressmen, saying she and her wife “struggle like hell and become parents to our four wonderful boys” when she lived in Tennessee.

"We are proud of Minnesota people - a strong state of independence, freedom and community. People are willing to take on the strong and fight for the right things," Craig said in the release video. "That's why I'm running for our Senate: Listen, fight for the whole person in Minnesota and win."

She is part of a growing field of candidates, hoping to replace Democratic Senator Tina Smith, who announced this winter that she would not seek reelection. Smith, one of four Democratic senators who left at the end of 2026, won a win in the state Democrat’s seat (the Republican last won the 2002 Senate seat in the Minnesota Senate), but has become more competitive in recent years.

Craig is no stranger to the tough race, and her allies may point to state-wide nominations. Back when Minnesota's second district was one of the country's top battlefields, Craig lost to Republican Rep. Jason Lewis in 2016, but two years later he joined him in 2019. She won tough re-choices in 2020 and 2022 until she won double-team wins last year.

Despite winning the highest Democratic position on the House Agriculture Committee before Congress, Craig will leave her seat and seek a place in the Senate (let Democrats defend her seat as they hope to regain control of the House). And she won't have a clear path: Current areas include Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Senate minority leader Melisa López Franzen.

Flanagan will be the first Native American woman in the Senate and if she wins, she immediately sends a signal after Smith retires that she will work hard to replace her. She was Tim Walz's second term, and she got some national attention when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention. She had been looking for a candidate for herself early in the campaign, promising to stand up with Trump and his "billionaire's good friend."

Following the announcement of Craig’s expectations, Flanagan introduced some recognition to major Democrats in the state, such as Attorney General Keith Ellison and former Senator Al Franken (accusation of sexual misconduct for resigning in 2017), and a handful of state lawmakers in the Craig’s congressional district.

López Franzen, who spent her time in the legislature and relied on suffrage in a state during the early weeks of the campaign, told Minnesota Public Radio that it was “purple.” Although Republicans have not won the Senate election for more than two decades, Trump lost only four points last year, while the state legislature has evenly distributed between Republicans and Democrats.

Given the Democratic success across the state, Democratic candidates may be in the general election, but open seats offer Republicans the opportunity.

Republican nominee Royce White lost to Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar last year and is known for his inflammatory online presence (and controversial).

Retired Navy Seal Adam Schwarze is also operating, and the field has the potential to grow – former long-term sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya (who previously worked at NBC) has become more outspoken in recent years in support of conservative policies, criticizing Minnesota Democrats on social media, and she hasn't closed the door to run.

Republicans across the country didn’t spend much time and money last year to support Reus’ bid and were able to control the Senate. But while some people are optimistic about the idea that an open seat gives them a better chance in the state, it is not clear how competitive the seat will be next year.

Democrats need net gains from four seats to win control of the Senate, which is a daunting task, given the Democratic control seats (Georgia and Michigan) and two open seats (New Hampshire, Minnesota and New Hampshire) that they have to win for the two states that Trump won last year, and have limited opportunities in offense, limited opportunities, and only Republic seats competing in competition.