National progressive Jewish organization backs trusted ally against antisemitism and proven champion for working families

MINNEAPOLIS — Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, the largest national Jewish organization focused on domestic policy, today endorsed Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate in the state’s August 11 Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary. Flanagan is running for the open seat held by U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who is not seeking reelection.

Bend the Arc joins a growing coalition of elected leaders, labor unions and grassroots organizations backing Flanagan. The Minnesota DFL endorsed her in May 2026, underscoring the broad statewide support she has built by uniting party leaders and grassroots activists behind a progressive vision.

“Peggy Flanagan is the progressive fighter this moment demands,” said Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “She is a close friend of the Twin Cities Jewish community and a trusted ally in the fight against antisemitism. She understands that Jewish safety is bound up with the safety and freedom of all our neighbors. Peggy has spent her career turning progressive values into concrete victories for working people, and we need her in the U.S. Senate fighting to make those same protections and opportunities available to every American. Bend the Arc is proud to endorse her.”

Before entering elected office, Flanagan served as executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota and co-chaired the Raise the Wage Coalition, which helped pass Minnesota’s first minimum-wage increase in a decade. As lieutenant governor, she helped enact paid family and medical leave and a law  restoring voting rights to at least 55,000 Minnesotans released from incarceration.

Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Nation and the country’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office, has served as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2019. If elected, she would become the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Early voting is underway ahead of the August 11 primary.

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About Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is a movement of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all.