I want to tell you about someone who’s unbelievably great. Someone who understands what’s at stake in this moment, who listens, who leads, and who embodies the values that make Minnesota, well, Minnesotan. That person is Peggy Flanagan. And she’s running to represent our great state in the U.S. Senate.
I’ve known Peggy for a long time. We both grew up in St. Louis Park (not at the same time — she’s young, and I’m old). Raised by a single mom, Peggy knows the impact of federal programs that help working families. They had a home because of a Section 8 housing voucher. Other public programs helped her mom afford health insurance and child care. She gets it because she’s lived it. And that’s exactly the kind of leader we need in Washington. (And frankly, what we have way too little of.)
Peggy’s got the experience, too. She’s currently serving as Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor — the highest-ranking Native American woman ever elected to executive office in the U.S. Before that, she was a state legislator, a school board member, an executive director for the Children’s Defense Fund–Minnesota, and she even worked for ME!
But most importantly — she worked for my friend and hero, the late Senator Paul Wellstone. She and I both believe in his guiding principle: We all do better when we all do better. (Yes, it’s that simple. No, Republicans still don’t get it.)
While Republicans around the country are hiding from their constituents, Peggy is doing the opposite. She’s traveling the state hosting ‘Kitchen Table Conversations’ — actually listening to real Minnesotans, having real conversations, and working to bring people together. She doesn’t just want to fight against bad stuff. She wants to build something, too.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering — yes, Peggy will be the first Native American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. It’s about time. She is Ojibwe and a member of White Earth, and her Anishinaabe name, Gizhiiwewidamookwe, means ‘speaks in a loud and clear voice woman.’ If there’s one thing I know about Peggy, it’s that she’ll use that voice to fight for all Minnesotans — whether they agree with her or not.
Al
P.S. I could go on and on about how great Peggy is. But instead, let me share a quick story from my first Senate campaign in 2008. Peggy was an organizer working with Native American communities and my advisor on Indian Affairs, and she told me if I went to the powwow at Red Lake, I should NOT dance. Good advice. But then a young man invited me to join in. So, I addressed the crowd and said, “Only if you don’t make fun of me after I leave.” They laughed and agreed, I danced, and a woman danced up to me and said, “You dance like a white guy.” I reminded her of the conditions of my dancing — to which she replied, “You said after you leave.” That was my first lesson in Ojibwe humor.
