Radar Watchlist: Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan

Peggy Flanagan was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb that has become a hotbed for progressive activism. She graduated from local public schools and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 2002, majoring in American Indian Studies and Child Psychology, a background that should make her an advocate for protecting vulnerable kids, but instead, she's weaponized it to promote ideologies that exploit them. From serving on the Minneapolis Board of Education from 2005 to 2009, where she could have focused on real education, to her stints at Wellstone Action and as executive director of Minnesota’s Children's Defense Fund, Flanagan's career has been a steady climb up the ladder. 

Elected to the Minnesota House in 2015, she became the 50th Lieutenant Governor in 2019 under Governor Tim Walz, and now she's gunning for the U.S. Senate in 2026 to replace retiring Senator Tina Smith. Polls show her with a commanding 30-point lead, sitting at 52% to her opponent's 22%, with a staggering 77% favorability among Minnesota Democrats. But don't let those numbers fool you. This is the result of a well-oiled machine that brainwashes voters into accepting dangerous views on "trans youth." Her Senate run makes her even more of a threat. With over $450,000 in donations from more than 4,200 donors across all states, she prides herself on refusing corporate PACs and promoting a "people-powered" facade. If she gets elected, you can expect her to export Minnesota's policies to Washington D.C. 

Peggy Flanagan at Pride – Instagram (2025)

Peggy Flanagan's campaign is full of contradictions. As a mom, she claims decisions about health care should be between families and doctors, yet her policies override and demonize non-affirming parents, granting state jurisdiction in disputes under 543.23. She defends this behavior by marketing her actions as "parental rights," but what she's doing is stripping rights from moms and dads who protect their kids from becoming lifelong medical patients. As she eyes the Senate, with endorsements from Warren and Murphy, Flanagan's platform forces schools, sports leagues, and public facilities to operate based on self-ID. Under these rules, a man can identify his way into any female-only space by simply saying, "I feel like a woman today." The self-ID system has proven to be catastrophic for women and girls, especially in public schools.

Peggy Flanagan – Vogue 

Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor and aspiring U.S. Senator, is pushing a radical agenda that endangers children by championing "gender-affirming care" for minors, treatments that amount to chemical castration and irreversible mutilation, while dismissing parental concerns and urging adults to "believe" kids when they claim a transgender identity. Her close ties to groups like Transforming Families MN and her role in turning Minnesota into a "sanctuary state" for these procedures make her a key figure in the grooming pipeline that our movement is actively trying to dismantle. Flanagan was front and center in the initiative to make Minnesota a "sanctuary state" for gender mutilation. Governor Walz signed an executive order on March 8, 2023, shielding providers and patients seeking puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries from out-of-state restrictions. Flanagan hailed it as "life-affirming and life-saving health care.” 

"When our children tell us who they are, it is our job as grown-ups to listen and to believe them. That's what it means to be a good parent."

Believe them?! Kids go through phases. No teenager or small child has the capacity to grasp such complex topics. But Peggy Flanagan is more focused on handing them over to the surgeons.

Fact Check – The Western Journal (2025)

Flanagan's obsession with castrating minors has escalated to alarming levels, earning her a spot on our watchlist. Back in 2022, she endorsed the Human Rights Campaign's reelection push for Walz and herself, aligning with an organization that is notorious for shoving queer propaganda down children's throats. That same year, at Minnesota Pride, she posted a photo on her official Lieutenant Governor Facebook page, declaring, "When we face fear and division, we push back with fierceness and love. We build a state where everyone in our community can enjoy their full rights and freedoms – and that includes full, meaningful access to reproductive health care. It's up to us. Happy Pride, Minnesota." Notice how she slips in "reproductive health care" as a Trojan horse for her broader agenda to recruit children into a sadistic cult. Flanagan's defenders, like OutFront Minnesota, praised her for "protecting the rights of Minnesota’s LGBTQ community to seek and receive gender affirming health care," a position echoed by the Attorney General. Her version of "LGBTQ rights" includes legislation to turn the state into a magnet for runaway teens, only to subject kids to experimental interventions with no long-term safety data.

In 2024, Peggy Flanagan appeared at Transforming Families MN's "Day of the Transgender Child" event. The group announced her as a speaker on Facebook: "We are honored to announce that Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan will be speaking tomorrow at Day of the Transgender Child 2024!" Flanagan made an Instagram post on Trans Day of Visibility about recommitting to "do the work until every trans and nonbinary person is protected. Our trans, two spirit, and nonbinary youth should be safe to grow up to be their full, beautiful selves." These events normalize boundary violation, exposing children to adult concepts like hormone injections and irreversible surgeries before they can tie their shoes. Transforming Families MN, which hosts peer support for "trans kids" and parents, even offers Zoom sessions for families relocating to Minnesota for these procedures. It is essentially a glorified grooming network.

Her social media is full of red flags. On her personal X account (@peggyflanagan), she shares pride flags and calls for "protecting our LGBTQ+ and two-spirit neighbors," while her campaign site remains live at peggyflanagan.com: "Our trans and nonbinary youth deserve to live as their full, beautiful, authentic selves, without fear, whether that's at work, school, or home. We see you, we value you, we love you. And as long as we're in office, our administration will keep showing up to keep you safe.”

Keep them safe? Safe from what, exactly? Given what we’ve seen so far, it seems like the only thing these kids need to be kept safe from is Peggy Flanagan.

Elon Musk fired back on X, calling out the insanity: "Every child goes through an identity crisis... We tell them they are boys/girls, but let them grow to maturity before making life-altering decisions." Vice President JD Vance accused Minnesota's laws of allowing the state to "take children away from their parents if the parents don't want to consent to sex changes.” Peggy Flanagan has been a public supporter of violent messaging and trans intimidation. She made her position clear to American voters when she wore a "Protect Trans Kids" shirt and preached about the importance of helping non-binary children access medical care. The shirt has knives on it, which is very disturbing when you consider the blades involved in gender surgeries. A sign with the same branding was seen inside a government building in Canada, posted the same week that a mass shooting was carried out by a trans-identified killer. At a time when the gender movement is churning out mass shooters faster than ISIS, it may be wise to tone it down and stop calling for the murder of everyone who does not share your worldview. 

She seems enthusiastic on the surface, but her platform is laced with poison: supporting federal "gender identity" legislation that turns elementary schools into a porn-saturated mess and leaves parents in the dark. Endorsements poured in from HRC, AG Keith Ellison, and even former Sen. Al Franken, painting her as a "pragmatic economic populist" while ignoring the child victims in her path.

Fox News ripped her for implying that moms and dads who live in reality are somehow bad parents. Flanagan's Indigenous heritage as an Anishinaabekwe from the White Earth Nation has also been twisted and appropriated to justify her extremism. She claims that her support for “trans youth” comes from her indigenous belief in two-spirit identities. However, some Indigenous scholars have debunked this as a modern fabrication. The modern trans movement has absolutely nothing to do with indigenous gender-bending, and weaponizing deeply-held cultural traditions to justify surgical experimentation is a grotesque form of cultural appropriation. 

Tampon Tim and Peggy Flanagan have been heavily endorsed by HRC

If this muppet actually cared about child safety, she wouldn't be trying to rip kids from their homes and mutilate them behind their parents’ backs. Just a thought.

The movement using political power to confuse children and get them hooked on drugs that make them sick is collapsing under the weight of its own lies. Gay people are DONE with liars speaking on our behalf to mislead the public into supporting child abuse. Gays Against Groomers is on offense. We see through the facade and demand accountability.

Stay away from kids, Peggy. 

Not in our name. 

References

Thank you to Phil and our investigative team, led by Mandy, whose work allows us to deliver robust investigations and well-sourced reporting. 

🔍: Phil, Research Department

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Alpha News. (2025). Left-wing politicians attend event called ‘Day of the Transgender Child’. Alpha News.  https://alphanews.org/left-wing-politicians-attend-event-called-day-of-the-transgender-child-in-minneapolis/ 

Associated Press. (2023). Minnesota governor protects rights to gender affirming care. Associated Press.  https://apnews.com/article/2a702340ec5facdb2bb6496e711facf1 

Chasmar, J. (2023). Minnesota Lt. Gov. ripped for saying parents must ‘believe’ when kids ‘tell us who they are’. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minnesota-lt-gov-ripped-saying-parents-believe-kids-tell-us-who-they-are 

E&E News. (2025). Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan over Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate race. E&E News by POLITICO. https://www.eenews.net/articles/tina-smith-endorses-peggy-flanagan-over-angie-craig-in-minnesota-senate-race/ 

Ferguson, D. (2023). Walz moves to protect those seeking gender-affirming care. MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/03/08/walz-moves-to-protect-those-seeking-genderaffirming-care 

Griffith, M. (2026). Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan to assume her seat after retirement. Minnesota Reformer. https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/minnesota-sen-tina-smith-endorses-peggy-flanagan-to-assume-her-seat-after-retirement/ 

HRC Staff. (2022). Human Rights Campaign endorses Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota for reelection. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-endorses-governor-tim-walz-and-lieutenant-governor-peggy-flanagan-of-minnesota-for-reelection 

Karnowski, S. (2023). Minnesota governor signs executive order protecting rights to gender-affirming care. PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/minnesota-governor-signs-executive-order-protecting-rights-to-gender-affirming-care 

Kashinsky, L. (2026). Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan over Angie Craig in Minnesota Senate race. E&E News by POLITICO. https://www.eenews.net/articles/tina-smith-endorses-peggy-flanagan-over-angie-craig-in-minnesota-senate-race/ 

KAXE. (2025). Angie Craig, Peggy Flanagan vying for U.S. Senate; Tina Smith endorses Flanagan. KAXE. https://www.kaxe.org/minnesota-news/2025-08-25/angie-craig-peggy-flanagan-us-senate-race-tina-smith  

Minnesota House of Representatives. (2023). New laws 2023. Minnesota House of Representatives. https://www.house.mn.gov/NewLaws/story/2023/5541 

Minnesota Management and Budget. (2018). Peggy Flanagan. Minnesota Management and Budget. https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/communications/governor-elect/peggy-flanagan-bio.pdf 

Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. (2023). Executive Order 23-03: Protecting and supporting the rights of Minnesota’s LGBTQIA+ community members to seek and receive gender affirming health care services. Minnesota Governor’s Office. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/executive-orders/?id=1055-568333 

Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. (2023). Governor Walz takes executive action to protect access to gender affirming health care in Minnesota. Minnesota Governor’s Office. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-568986 

Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. (2025). MN Governor’s Office. Minnesota Governor’s Office. https://mn.gov/governor/about-gov/peggyflanagan/ 

Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. (2025). Peggy Flanagan biography. Minnesota Governor’s Office. https://mn.gov/governor/about/peggyflanagan/index.jsp 

Office of the Revisor of Statutes. (2023). HF 146 status in the House - 93rd Legislature. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/93/2023/0/HF/146/ 

Office of the Revisor of Statutes. (2025). Sec. 543.23 Minnesota Statutes. Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/2025/cite/543.23 

OutFront Magazine. (2025). Peggy Flanagan archives. OutFront Magazine. https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/tag/peggy-flanagan/ 

Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. (2025). Endorsements. Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. https://peggyflanagan.com/endorsements/ 

Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. (2025). Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan releases key numbers in her bid for U.S. Senate. Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. https://peggyflanagan.com/keynumbers/ 

Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. (2025). Priorities. Peggy Flanagan for Minnesota. https://peggyflanagan.com/priorities/ 

Radelat, A. (2025). Craig and Flanagan flex their political muscles in US Senate race. KAXE. https://www.kaxe.org/minnesota-news/2025-08-25/angie-craig-peggy-flanagan-us-senate-race-tina-smith 

Star Tribune. (2025). Tina Smith endorses Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate. Star Tribune. https://www.startribune.com/tina-smith-endorses-peggy-flanagan-in-race-for-us-senate/601575396 

State of Minnesota Office of the Attorney General. (2025). Transgender rights fact sheet. State of Minnesota Office of the Attorney General. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/Publications/TransRights.asp

Transforming Families MN. (2025). About us. Transforming Families MN. https://www.tffmn.org/our-history-1 

U.S. Senator Tina Smith. (2025). U.S. Senator Tina Smith pens op-ed announcing she will not seek reelection in 2026. U.S. Senator Tina Smith. https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-pens-op-ed-announcing-she-will-not-seek-reelection-in-2026/ 

Vogue. (2025). As Peggy Flanagan runs for Senate, a look back at her intentional style. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/peggy-flanagan-election-trail-fashion 

Washington Examiner. (2025). Peggy Flanagan’s school board record undercuts claims in bitter Senate primary. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4422326/peggy-flanagan-school-board-record-undercut-claims-bitter-minnesota-sen-primary/ 

WORLD Radio. (2024). Thursday morning news: August 8, 2024. WORLD. https://wng.org/podcasts/thursday-morning-news-august-8-2024-1723055220