Minnesota would get its first female governor if Walz becomes VP

If the Democratic ticket wins the presidential election in November, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would make history as Minnesota’s first Native American and its first female governor.

Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, on Tuesday announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. If he leaves his post as governor — either to campaign or eventually to become the nation’s hypothetical vice president — Flanagan would be next in line to take his spot.

Flanagan, a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, would also be the country’s first Native American woman to serve as state governor.

Flanagan has already been a history-making politician. She is the highest-ranking Native woman to serve in any statewide office. She’s also the first Native woman to lead the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.

Flanagan, 44, was first elected alongside Walz in 2018, serving in office since 2019. She previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, on the Minneapolis Board of Education and as the executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota. She also trained thousands of organizers and elected officials, including Walz, in her work for Wellstone Action’s Camp Wellstone program.

Flanagan has campaigned for Harris since she announced she would seek the top spot on the Democratic ticket, MinnPost reported.

Late last month, she gave an interview to MinnPost and hinted she was rooting for Walz to be named as Harris’s running mate. She said that while there are several Democratic governors under consideration, “I might be a little biased as to who I think the best pick would be.”

On whether she has thought about the prospect of becoming a history-making governor, she told MinnPost, “I think Gov. Walz would be honored to be selected to be the vice president and I have been honored this entire time to serve the people of Minnesota. That would not change.”