If Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are elected this fall, not only would a woman of color lead the country for the first time, but a Native woman would also govern a state for the first time in U.S. history.
Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor and a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is set to become the state’s next governor if Walz steps down to take the role of U.S. vice president. Her rise to power has been closely watched by indigenous people in Minnesota and across the country, who see her as a champion of policies that positively impact Native Americans.
In recent years, Minnesota has integrated tribal consultation into many aspects of state government, established one of the nation’s first statewide offices for missing and murdered Native family members, and strengthened laws protecting Native children in the adoption system. Many Native leaders credit Flanagan with driving these changes, as well as a significant increase in respect for tribal sovereignty and autonomy in state policy.
Flanagan has been the nation’s highest-ranking Native American statewide official since her election as lieutenant governor in 2018. The role is often held behind the scenes, but Walz and Flanagan have said they have chosen to govern in partnership. Their administration has strengthened government-to-government relationships with tribes in Minnesota, and many in Indian Country see Flanagan as a key figure in a new era of politics that puts Native women at the forefront.
President Joe Biden has made a difficult decision to get off and let Harris take his place as the Democratic presidential candidate, Flanagan said.
“He created space for a woman of color to lead. And to be completely honest with you, completely honest, that’s what Tim Walz did for me,” she said.
Her rise to governor would cement her position among Native female leaders, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Congresswoman Shaurice Davids and a growing list of Native women in statehouses.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, 36 female legislators who identify as Native American will be elected to state governments in 2023. That’s a record.
When Flanagan was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2015, there were far fewer Indigenous women in positions of power.
“For my daughter, and for so many other young Indigenous people across the country, their reality right now is very different than how I grew up,” Flanagan said. “Representation matters.”
The number of Native women in the Minnesota Legislature has doubled since she took office, from two to four, and Flanagan said more people from underrepresented populations is the “secret sauce” to better governance.
“It gave us the opportunity to speak for ourselves on the floor, and to really be in a position where, frankly, decisions had to be made with us at the table in a way that had never happened before,” she said.
Flanagan first met Walz when she was working at an organization that provided grassroots training for progressive political candidates. She helped prepare Walz, a civics teacher, for his first congressional race, and the two became close friends and political allies. He later chose her as his running mate and supported her in her numerous efforts to amplify the voices of indigenous peoples in state government.
Walz was the first Minnesota governor to make diplomatic trips to the state’s 11 tribes. An executive order he issued in 2019 requires state agencies to consult with tribal governments, undergo training to improve those relationships and hire liaisons to work directly with tribal partners.
Louise Matson, director of the Division of Indian Work, a nonprofit that supports Native Americans in urban areas, attributes the progress to Flanagan’s influence.
Flanagan grew up in Minneapolis, an urban center for indigenous activism, including the American Indian Movement. People who know her well say she has always focused on creating better outcomes for indigenous people, especially children.
Matson, also a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, worked with Flanagan more than 20 years ago when, as a recent college graduate, she got her first job advocating for Native families in the public school system. Matson recalled that Flanagan was determined and unafraid to take on challenges.
“I don’t know if she always felt this confident, but I thought it was great that she threw herself into this job right away, dealing with a system that hasn’t always been kind to our people,” Matson said.
Just a few years later, Flanagan ran for a position on the Minneapolis Board of Education. There, she met Robert Lilligren, another member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the first Native person elected to the Minneapolis City Council. Lilligren said she contacted him for campaign advice.
“I thought, ‘This woman could be governor someday. She could even be president someday.’ I mean, she was just so impressive,” Lilligren said.
Flanagan’s work on Walz’s executive order requiring tribal consultation within state departments underscored her political influence and tenacity. The order has increased the visibility of Native people and respect for tribal sovereignty, Lilligren said.
“That’s because Peggy is there,” he said.
Flanagan’s father, the late White Earth activist Marvin Mannypenny, spent years fighting for Native land rights, which included holding his own tribal government accountable. He often said that Natives have the inherent right to govern themselves, and Flanagan said she incorporates that into much of her work today.
“He was a troublemaker and a rabble-rouser, and an expert on our tribal constitution,” she said. “He taught me how to take up space at the table and tell the truth, even if it makes people uncomfortable.”
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Graham Lee Brewer is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team, based in Oklahoma City.
