Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan says 'we have to rip ICE apart'

(FOX 9) - Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan joined FOX 9 All Day on Thursday, two days after winning the Democratic nomination in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota to discuss her campaign.

She will face former media personality Michele Tafoya, who won the GOP primary, in the general election. Tafoya also joined All Day on Thursday to talk about her platform.

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on preventing fraud

"I think we have to, first of all, be clear that Republicans are running against every Democrat on fraud to distract from Donald Trump's abysmal record as he has continued to destroy the economy and lead us into an unending war with Iran. But what I know is that, you know, fraud of any kind is completely unacceptable. And there need to be measures that are put in place. I would build on the independent Office of Inspector General that has been created in the last legislative session. There are additional resources that were given to the attorney general to go after Medicaid fraudsters in Minnesota; that's a really strong place to start. But when it comes to corruption and fraud in Washington, I think what is very clear to me is that the corruption that's coming out of this White House is what I think the U.S. Senate needs to take on. We've got Donald Trump, who, right out of the gate, fired 17 inspectors general, whose entire job it is to police fraud at the federal level. I would absolutely insist that those folks were reinstated. He also pardoned 70 white-collar criminals who were responsible for billions of dollars in fraud in Medicaid and Medicare. We have to make sure, you know, that those folks can't just simply be let go, but that as this guy – Donald Trump – is making deals with these individuals, essentially for them to be able to commit these crimes and walk away. It's outrageous. And then I would just say the president is making money hand over fist, whether it's his crypto meme coin that he's enriched himself to over a billion dollars, or insider trading to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars from the White House, as well as these individuals who are paying for his gilded ballroom, who then receive government contracts in return. The grift has to stop. I think making sure the Democrats win the House back and the U.S. Senate is going to be key and critical to holding this administration accountable and putting additional regulations in place to ensure that this can never, ever happen again."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on making life more affordable

"I'm someone who grew up on the margins. And I know what it's like to stretch 20 bucks through the end of the month. And frankly, if we had more people who knew that serving in the U.S. Senate or in Congress, I think we'd be in a much better position. And we certainly wouldn't have passed this ‘big, ugly’ bill. I think it's important that we restore the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, where essentially health care was taken away from 15 million people and food was taken off the table for folks, all in exchange for trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy in this country. It's outrageous. And I think that folks are ready for someone who's going to fight for Medicare for All. This is the number one issue that I hear from Minnesotans all across the state. I talked to someone who has a $16,000 deductible and paid $500 for a med check. It's outrageous. I think we can do better, and on our way there, we need to ban prior authorization so that some dude behind a desk, or worse yet, an AI bot, shouldn't be making a decision on behalf of your doctor. Your doctor should be the one making the decision as to whether or not you get the life-saving health care that you deserve. I'd also say, you know, things like universal child care, capping the cost of child care at seven percent for families, raising wages. And I think as we travel across the state and I've talked to so many farmers who say that the right to repair their own equipment is at the top of their list. Once you purchase something, you shouldn't have to keep paying for it in order to go through the company to get it repaired. And then ultimately, I think we also have to get big money out of our politics. Corporate PACs, these special interests, we saw that play out here. This campaign has been about the many versus the money. The many won in this primary. We're going to go on to, you know, to win again, but I think the best way to end Citizens United is to demonstrate that we can run and win strong, grassroots, people-powered campaigns. And so these corporations have an incredible amount of power and representation in Washington. I think it's Minnesotans who need that representation, and that's why I'm running."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on ICE and immigration enforcement

"I think that we have to rip ICE apart. You know, what we've experienced here, as you mentioned, over 3,000 ICE agents in our streets terrorizing our communities. The economic impact is ongoing. I think about the trauma that our children have experienced. Many of our kids now have an ACE score, an adverse childhood experience score, simply because there were federal agents in the streets and, as you mentioned, the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. ICE is out of control, and just today, you talked about this administration wants to have ICE agents now wearing gloves that electrocute people – electric gloves – spending millions of dollars on this. It's outrageous that this lawless entity has been allowed to kill with impunity. And not to mention that there have been over 50 people who have died while Donald Trump has been in office in these detention centers. I think that we can absolutely ensure that we have secure borders and an immigration system that is grounded in public safety, dignity and a pathway to citizenship for folks. This is completely broken, and I don't think there should be one more penny – they've already spent $240 billion so far – one more penny going to ICE as they have continued to just cause terror and chaos wherever they go and have essentially been utilized as Donald Trump's private police force. It's outrageous, and I think we can have an immigration system. But ICE, as it currently exists, shouldn't receive one more penny, and frankly, folks need to be held accountable for what they've done in Minnesota and in communities across the United States."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on mining in Minnesota

"I support mining. I think the taconite mining that has been so critical to Minnesota, but also to our entire country, right? The taconite mines helped build the United States. I think it's critically important that we protect the Boundary Waters, our natural resources, as well. And that we need to make sure that we're developing science so that we can do things safely. I think folks all across Minnesota value clean water, access to natural resources. And I think that what we saw happen here, where folks like Congressman Pete Stauber push for anything goes to allow a foreign mining company to make money at the expense of Minnesotans, is not the right track. And I will always, you know, follow the science and do what's best for Minnesota."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on copper-nickel mining and clean energy

"I support mining, and I think that we need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to develop science to be able to do so safely. I think the Boundary Waters should be off limits and that we should be doing everything that we can, of course, to move towards a clean-energy economy. But I have a hard time believing that that's in Donald Trump's interests, as he's completely rolled back environmental protections through his EPA, has made it almost impossible for a clean-energy economy to exist. And I will take him more seriously that that's something he's interested in when he restores protections to the environment and restores funding to the Inflation Reduction Act projects that we had all across the state of Minnesota that were set to bring strong union jobs to our communities. So I'm ready to have that conversation, but I'm also ready for Donald Trump to come to the table with an actual solution. This is ridiculous."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on gun control after the Annunciation school shooting

"I am a mom, and that is the lens through which I see this issue all the time. The horror of these parents who lost their children at Annunciation, and that the Republicans in the House and Senate refused to take action, it is shameful. I have been a longtime gun violence prevention advocate when I was at the Children's Defense Fund, in the Legislature and certainly now as lieutenant governor. And I believe that we need to ban assault weapons and we need to ban high-capacity magazines. That will be the work that I will work towards in the United States Senate. And listen, I own a firearm, and I know how to store it safely, to utilize it safely. But there's absolutely no reason why anyone should have access to assault weapons or these high-capacity magazines. It is time for us to do something once and for all. And my hope is that we are able to elect a DFL majority in the House, a DFL majority in the Senate at the state level, and take back the House and Senate in Washington, D.C., to finally be able to make progress on gun violence prevention. I do not know how many more children need to lose their lives before folks are ready to take this seriously. It has been time, and we should not lose one more child to gun violence."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on whether her progressive platform can win the general election

"I think it's important to point out that, you know, we had a 20-point victory on Tuesday night and that I won every congressional district except one across the state of Minnesota. We had incredible support in Greater Minnesota, all across the state, because I think our message of making sure that people can afford the lives they want to live and rejecting corporate PAC money and money from special interests really resonates with Minnesotans. I think Michele Tafoya is going to have a difficult time because I don't know that she completely understands what Minnesotans are going through right now. When she was asked about the high cost of fuel prices due to the illegal war in Iran, she encouraged people to keep a stiff upper lip and take one less trip to Starbucks. She then went on to say that that was a patriotic thing to do. I think the patriotic thing to do is to get us out of illegal wars and to stop supporting Donald Trump, who is leading us into disaster, driving this economy off the cliff, and that we need folks who are going to stand up to him and make sure that we are passing things like access to health care, that people can afford their child care, they can afford their housing. I think that those are the issues that I've been running on from the very beginning. And the folks who are trying to stop us – crypto bros, AI tech billionaires and health insurance companies – I'm only beholden to Minnesotans. That works just fine for me, and that's why we're going to win this race in the fall. Michele Tafoya, who encourages people to skip their coffee as her economic plan, I don't understand it. I think Minnesotans do. And then I would just say, you know, circling back to the issue that you talked about earlier about ICE, Michele Tafoya said that ICE has treated children really, really well. Well, I would say tell that to Liam Conejo Ramos and to the children who've been separated from their families. We do not need another ‘yes-sir’ senator in Michele Tafoya. We need someone who's going to stand up to Donald Trump and ensure that the people of Minnesota, you know, have good representation."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on women making history on Minnesota's ballot

"It's about time. I think, you know, I'm not running to make history, but I think it's overdue that we have a Native American woman serve in the U.S. Senate. But I think we are now just in a moment where we've got women who are running and winning all across the country. Minnesota has not had a woman governor ever. And boy, it is about time that's going to happen this fall. I think Amy Klobuchar is going to be the one to pull it off. And my hope is, you know, to win this United States Senate seat. But ultimately, I think what people are interested in is who's going to deliver for Minnesota, for themselves and for their families; who's going to stand up to Donald Trump; and who's going to make sure that people can afford their lives. I think that is what we'll see this fall, and I look forward to the next 83 days and getting it done."

2026 ElectionsPoliticsMinnesotaPeggy Flanagan