Lingering rift with Walz follows Flanagan into US Senate race

MINNEAPOLIS - When Tim Walz announced Jan. 5 that he was dropping out of the governor's race, his second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, was not in the room.

Flanagan also wasn't present at a meeting earlier that morning where Walz shared the news with staff and members of his Cabinet. In fact, Walz did not speak with Flanagan about his decision before going public, according to multiple people close to the governor's office, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly with Yhe Minnesota Star Tribune.

The episode underscored an ongoing rift between Walz and Flanagan that has reshaped one of Minnesota's most prominent political partnerships and already spilled into a high-profile U.S. Senate race.

Over the past year and a half, the two Democrats have rarely appeared together in public. It's a striking shift from their first six years in office, when Walz and Flanagan billed themselves as governing partners and regularly shared the stage.

The awkward dynamic has been widely noticed at the Minnesota Capitol and is well-known in DFL circles.

The relationship began to fray after Walz returned home from his failed run for vice president. Walz and his team were upset with how Flanagan had handled the transition as she prepared to assume the governorship.

They were particularly irked that Flanagan tapped his gubernatorial campaign fund without authorization, multiple people familiar with the dispute told The Minnesota Star Tribune in late 2024.

Flanagan would have faced an avalanche of work had she ascended to the role of governor in November 2024, having to assemble a staff and prepare for a legislative session as Walz and his top staffers moved to D.C.

The fissure has persisted ever since.

People close to Flanagan said that Walz and his team have sidelined the lieutenant governor, excluding her from some briefings and not replacing departed staff. Some pointed to additional flare-ups, saying Walz's team was upset that Flanagan gave them little notice before she announced her run for U.S. Senate in February 2025.

Those in Walz's circle say Flanagan is the one who has pulled back as she campaigns for the Senate against fellow Democrat Angie Craig.

Privately, some of Walz's allies have complained that Flanagan is taking credit for some of the administration's accomplishments on the campaign trail while distancing herself from the fraud crisis in Minnesota's social services programs.

Publicly, Walz's office has maintained that Flanagan "is a valued member of this team."

"Governor Walz and Lieutenant Flanagan are grateful for their partnership and work together over many years," said Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for the governor's office.

The issue is becoming a political liability for Flanagan in her Senate race, as Craig levels accusations that she "barely shows up for her current job."

"Republicans are eager to exploit Peggy Flanagan's record of not showing up to work," Craig wrote in an April 9 social media post.

Representatives from Flanagan's U.S. Senate campaign noted she has remained active on her own, appearing recently at the State Capitol to welcome schoolchildren who were learning about government and to meet with the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs and local union members, among other official engagements.

In Minnesota, lieutenant governors have few statutory responsibilities, leaving the scope of the role largely dependent on their relationship with the governor.

Flanagan chairs the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, which is required to meet quarterly. Craig has noted that the Capitol security committee has frequently missed that mark while Flanagan has been chair.

Former Minnesota DFL chair Mike Erlandson said it doesn't matter whether Flanagan is distancing herself or being pushed out by Walz. Either way, he said, her absence has been widely noticed.

"It was the Walz-Flanagan administration. They were pretty much billed as a team," Erlandson said. "That's the part that is hard to walk away from."

Erlandson hasn't endorsed a candidate in the Senate race, but he has previously donated $500 to Craig's campaign.

State Auditor Julie Blaha, who is a surrogate for Flanagan's Senate campaign, said she's seen the lieutenant governor's work firsthand.

"She shows up," Blaha said. "We have to be careful that we don't judge a politician only by how much they grab the spotlight ... Peggy knows when to step up and when to step back."

Walz has not endorsed Flanagan's Senate campaign. He told The Minnesota Star Tribune last month he does not intend to weigh in on the race between Flanagan and Craig.

Former DFL political operative Todd Rapp said that clashes between governors and their lieutenants are not unusual. But the dynamic between Walz and Flanagan is unique in some ways.

"Typically speaking, a governor will endorse the lieutenant governor when that person goes for higher office. And in this case, it's clearly not happening," Rapp said. "And that's noticeable."

Rapp isn't convinced Flanagan's activity level as lieutenant governor will matter in her Democratic Senate battle against Craig. The delegates who will decide which candidate gets the DFL endorsement at next month's state convention probably aren't taking attendance, he said.

"They're far more interested in how someone's going to take the fight to Donald Trump," Rapp said.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 2:05 AM.