미네소타도 진보 돌풍…‘원주민 여성’ 플래너건, 연방 상원 민주당 후보로

Progressive wave sweeps through Minnesota as a "Native American woman" candidate, Pegan Planegan, is set to become the Democratic Party's federal Senate nominee in November. In the race for the state's federal Senate seat, Planegan, a moderate, narrowly defeated moderate incumbent Nancy Kretchgraeve. This follows the victory of moderate Abdel Elsayed in the recent Minnesota Senate race.

Planegan is poised to take over the seat left vacant by retiring Tina Smith, with endorsements from Smith, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. In contrast, Kretchgraeve received support from House Democratic caucus representative Hank Johnson, Elizabeth Slotkin, and former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. Should Planegan win the general election, she would become the first Native American woman in U.S. history to serve as a federal Senate member.

This election showcased a clear division between progressive and moderate factions within the Democratic Party. Planegan campaigned on promises of "Medicare for All" and reducing the influence of big money in politics, while Kretchgraeve argued she was better positioned to compete in the general election. According to advertising analytics firm AdImpact, Kretchgraeve's campaign spent approximately $20 million on TV ads, compared to Planegan's $4.7 million.

The key issues were immigration enforcement, with Kretchgraeve defending her support for the "Lynn Riley Act" to expand the detention of illegal immigrants, and criticizing Planegan's stance to abolish ICE. On the other hand, Kretchgraeve highlighted a major Medicare fraud case in Minnesota to challenge Planegan's accountability.

In Minnesota's recent elections, Republicans have failed to win a statewide victory since 2006, and President Trump received only 47% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election, narrowly losing to the Democratic candidate by just 4 percentage points.