Perhaps nationwide attention is more neutral than scorn, but when it comes to floods of money in politics, aimed at truning aside a popular outcome; scorn is a proper word.
That said,
In a press conference Wednesday, July 8, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan called on U.S. Rep. Angie Craig to answer for a "flood" of outside spending while touting the grassroots nature of her own campaign. Flanagan claimed $12 million in outside spending from political action committees in support of Craig has made this the most expensive primary in Minnesota history.
“You've seen them, I've seen them, my kiddo has seen them,” Flanagan said. “Minnesotans have been inundated with television ads trying to redeem Congresswoman Angie Craig and attack my record. Those ads are being paid for by five super PACs and secretive 'dark money' groups that have already spent more than $12 million trying to sway the outcome of this election.”
The Flanagan campaign claims the outside spending is funded namely by the cryptocurrency industry, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and health insurance companies.
Craig responded to the claims in a statement Wednesday.
“I’ve run in five competitive races in Minnesota and in every one of them Super PACs have come after me. I never once called a press conference to cry about it,” she said in the statement. “If you think this is bad, wait until Republicans come after you for the fraud issues in Minnesota. There is too much at risk in our nation to not just say it: Peggy Flanagan could lose this Senate seat for Democrats in November if she is the candidate.”
Craig has repeatedly called Flanagan’s assertions about outside spending “hypocrisy,” pointing to donations made to the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association while Flanagan was chair. Craig has mentioned a contribution from CoreCivic, a company known to partner with the federal government for ICE detention facilities.
"Rather than debate me on the issues and how we’re going to stand up to Donald Trump she looks to impose a litmus test she herself has failed," Craig said earlier this month.
On the issues, Craig would lose, being a conservative Democrat. In fairness, Craig lost her first MN HD2 campaign to an idiot talk show host Republican, a Michele Bachmann allay, because Craig ran a poor campaign touting some wrong things and having awful consultantcy adds with cringe-worthy background music. Improving by being more open about her family and spouse and the three children they raised, and realizing a part of her district to be rural with ag and other non-urban character, Craig adapted and improved campaign messaging greatly. She ousted Jason Lewis, the talk show Republican after a single term, and has represented MN HD2 ever since.
It being a conservative district in part channeled Craig into offering and delivering a balanced but conservative leaning campaigning message, which she delivered upon. In short, she represented the mood of her distirct, which is hard to fault.
But still.
That item continues -
Flanagan said Wednesday that during her time at the DLGA, she asked that the contribution from CoreCivic be donated, and said Craig's comparison is not “apples to apples.”
“The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association's sole purpose is to elect Democrats and Democratic lieutenant governors,” Flanagan said. “These corporate PACs, these special interest, dark money groups, their sole purpose is to elect people like Congresswoman Craig, who will vote for their interests, who will vote for the things, frankly, that they want to see happen, and will do their bidding — and I think, again, it's not an even playing field.”
The heat comes just ahead of the second round of campaign finance reports for federal elections, which are due next Wednesday, July 15. Craig’s campaign reported nearly $5 million cash on hand on July 7. DFL-endorsed Flanagan's last report through March showed $1.1 million cash on hand.
Flanagan simply does not take private prison - ICE detention money, and Craig knows that and knows better than to suggest otherwise. Next -
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/really-dark-money-fighting-keep-121608756.html carrying a native american news report. Flanagan has native american roots, so no surprise, she's favored.
Most people who read my newsletter think of Peggy Flanagan's campaign for the Senate in historic terms. She is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and there has never been a Native American woman elected to that chamber ever. It's long past time for that to happen in a representative democracy.
But others see Flanagan as a threat and are willing to spend a lot of money to make sure she doesn't make that history.
It's not uncommon for U.S. Senate races to cost millions of dollars. But in Minnesota, spending records are being shattered in a primary election, already topping $12 million. The most expensive Minnesota primary ever. And most of that money is trying to make sure that Peggy Flanagan does not win the DFL Primary next month.
The cool thing is the reasons are ideological.
Across the country there are millions of dollars being invested to make sure that "centrist" Democrats win. And the phrase "centrist" captures a few general themes, such as support for the government of Israel, status quo in health care (protecting insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry), and this year's largest big spender, the shadowy web that includes crypto traders (including sports betting and prediction markets).
"In the 2026 midterm elections, corporate money is poised to play a bigger role than ever before in influencing how Americans vote. The cryptocurrency sector's political playbook from 2024 – prioritizing corporate priorities over parties or candidates and using their financial power to discipline sitting lawmakers and candidates – is spawning copycat corporate campaigns by other sectors.
"Months before Election Day, corporations have already collectively spent $517 million to influence federal elections – a 12% increase over the $461 million that corporations spent over the entire 2024 election cycle and nearly triple the $184.1 million spent by corporations during the previous midterm election in 2022."
Most of this money is "dark" money. Secret funds that are spent directly by Political Action Funds in support of candidates. In June, one of those groups, North Star Dawn, used a "deep fake" ad to attack Flanagan. (Portraying her as a corporate shill. Cute. The evidence is a PAC for Democratic Lt. Governors. But the thing is, why is Peggy Flanagan on the other side of just about every issue that's mentioned in the attack ad?)
[...]
Last, a HuffPo item giving nationwide coverage to the big bucks for Craig. Carried by MSN.
Since it's largely cumulative, quoting will be brief:
Outside groups have spent more than $1 million a week on TV and digital streaming ads to support Craig, she said on a Wednesday press call. Eight of these ads have been airing since April, and the campaign’s “best guess” is that most of this money is flowing from the cryptocurrency industry and the powerful pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Also in the news: Trump Filing Shows He Took In About $1.2 Billion From Crypto Businesses Last Year
“Minnesota has never seen this kind of outside spending,” said the lieutenant governor. “Unprecedented. Historic. Unlike anything Minnesotans have experienced in our politics before.”
Flanagan, who is running to the left of Craig, has made it central to her campaign that she doesn’t take any corporate PAC money, unlike the moderate congresswoman.
On her press call, she said the “most important question to ask” is why special interest groups are flooding this Senate race: “They know Angie Craig will do their bidding.”
Well, they "know" no such thing, but the expectation is that Craig would mirror her record in the House, if gaining the Senate seat. Again, Craig represented her district and how she'd represent the entire diverse state is unknown. But her campaign and the endorsements she could obtain are not progressive voices. Far from it.
The next following post is more editorial, looking past the contest (but only a bit) to the Schumer - Gillibrand putsch against Platner, in parallel to a comparable "me-too" takedown putsch the two spearheaded against Al Franken. And how that is part of a Dem inner party bias toward a too-conservative status quo. One ripe for overturning, if they'd let us.
Frankin was the best and most progressive Senator Minnesota has had since the still strange and most unfortunate Wellstone fatal airplane disaster.
Back to Frankin - not Wellstone: They took a crap on Al and he walked away, which is most unfortunate, but illustrative of why change is imperative.
Change course, and we could even possibly get Medicare for All.
The Crabgrass understanding -- Craig's not endorsed Medicare for All, while Flanagan unequivocally has.
_____________UPDATE_____________
Recall, chickenshit dark money took out Jamal Bowman and Corrie Bush, so August primary day is a pace away and we have to wait to see. But chickenshit dark money, in an ideal world, would not rule the primary day voting in an ideal Minnesota world.