As a Black and Asian American woman, much has been made of the history-making potential of Kamala Harris’ candidacy for president. With her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, she has teed up another prospective “first”: If the Harris-Walz ticket wins the White House, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become the country’s first Native American woman to be governor.
A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan was elected lieutenant governor in 2018 after serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She and Walz easily won re-election in 2022. Flanagan, 44, is the nation’s highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office, according to her official biography.
As laid out in the Minnesota Constitution, Flanagan would assume the governorship if the Democratic ticket were to win the White House, or if Walz steps down to campaign (he has not indicated that he would).
On Tuesday, Flanagan congratulated Walz for becoming Harris’ running mate, writing on X:
I’ve been friends with Tim Walz for almost 20 years. And for more than five years, he’s been my partner in justice at the Minnesota Capitol. He has the grit and the grace to keep our country moving forward alongside Kamala Harris.
As lieutenant governor, Flanagan has been a leading voice in Minnesota for Indigenous rights. She formed the state’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office and has helped shore up relations between the state government and Minnesota’s tribal nations.
Flanagan is also an outspoken advocate for abortion rights. Last month, after Iowa enacted a six-week abortion ban, she toured a Minnesota abortion clinic and welcomed out-of-state patients seeking help.
“If you’re afraid, come to Minnesota,” Flanagan said. “We’ve got you.”
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