Angie Craig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Angie Craig
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Official portrait, 2025
|
|
| Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
|
| Preceded by | David Scott |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd district |
|
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Jason Lewis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Angela Dawn Craig
February 14, 1972 West Helena, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
| Spouse |
Cheryl Greene
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Memphis (BA) |
| Website | |
Angela Dawn Craig (born February 14, 1972) is an American politician and former businesswoman. She is a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). Since 2019, she has served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. This district covers many southern suburbs of the Twin Cities and some rural areas.
Angie Craig grew up in Arkansas. She worked in journalism and corporate communications before moving to Minnesota in 2005. She first ran for Congress in 2016 but lost. She ran again in 2018 and won.
Craig is the first openly LGBT+ person from Minnesota to serve in Congress. She is also the first openly lesbian mother to be in Congress. On April 29, 2025, she announced she would run for the United States Senate in the 2026 election. She hopes to take the seat of Tina Smith.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Angie Craig was born in West Helena, Arkansas, in 1972. She went to Nettleton High School in Jonesboro. She earned a college degree in journalism from the University of Memphis.
After college, Craig worked as a reporter. She lived in London from 2002 to 2005. From 2005 to 2017, she worked in human resources and communications at St. Jude Medical.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Congressional Elections
2016 Election Campaign
In 2016, Craig ran for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota's 2nd district. She announced her plan before the Republican leader, John Kline, said he would retire. She did not have any opponents in her party's primary election. In the main election, she ran against Jason Lewis. She lost by a small number of votes.
2018 Election Victory
Craig ran against Jason Lewis again in 2018. She won her party's primary without opposition. In the general election, she defeated Lewis. Some of his past comments were seen as a reason for his loss.
Craig became the first openly lesbian mother elected to Congress. She was also the first woman elected in Minnesota's 2nd district. She won with 52.6% of the votes. When she started her term on January 3, 2019, she became the first DFLer to represent this district since 2003.
2020 Election Challenge
In 2020, a candidate from another party, Adam Weeks, passed away. This caused a legal debate about when the election should happen. Minnesota law usually requires a special election if a major-party candidate dies close to Election Day. Craig argued that the election should stay on November 3. She said that delaying it would leave the district without a representative.
A federal judge agreed with Craig. The judge said that federal law prevents moving House election dates except in rare cases. The appeals court also sided with Craig. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal to delay the election. The election went ahead on November 3, and Craig won by a small margin.
2022 Election Rematch
In the 2022 election, Craig ran against Republican Tyler Kistner again. She had faced him in the 2020 election. Craig won this rematch with 51% of the vote. Kistner received 46%.
2024 Election Success
In the 2024 election, Craig defeated Republican Joe Teirab. She won with 55.5% of the vote. This was the best result for a DFLer in the district since 1998.
2026 Senate Campaign
On April 29, 2025, Craig announced her plan to run for the U.S. Senate. She is seeking the seat that Tina Smith is leaving. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan is also running for the Democratic nomination. Craig had been expected to run for this seat for several months.
Key Actions in Congress
Angie Craig is known for working with members from both major parties. In 2019, she had a Bipartisan Index Score of 0.3. This placed her 114th out of 435 members of Congress.
During Donald Trump's time as president, Craig voted with Trump's ideas about 5.5% of the time. When Joe Biden became president, she voted with his ideas 100% of the time in the 117th Congress. In 2023, she voted with President Biden's positions 70.6% of the time.
On February 25, 2022, Craig introduced the Affordable Insulin Now Act. This bill aimed to limit the cost of insulin to $35 per month. The bill passed in the House of Representatives.
In April 2023, Craig's office announced a change. Her staff would no longer need to have a bachelor's degree.
Craig was involved in talks for the 2024 U.S. federal budget. On September 20, 2023, she introduced a bill called the MCCARTHY Shutdown Act. This bill suggested that members of Congress should not get paid if the government shuts down.
In 2025, Craig was one of 46 House Democrats who voted with all Republicans for the Laken Riley Act.
Committee Roles
For the 118th Congress, Angie Craig serves on these committees:
- Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Health
Groups She Belongs To
Angie Craig is a member of several groups in Congress:
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus (she is a co-chair)
- New Democrat Coalition
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption
- Problem Solvers Caucus
Political Views
Craig is often described as a centrist or moderate Democrat. She also describes herself this way.
Her views on police reform have changed over time. In March 2021, she voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. In 2024, she invited the head of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association to be her guest at the State of the Union address.
On February 1, 2023, Craig was one of 12 Democrats who voted to end the national emergency for COVID-19.
Craig voted to provide support to Israel after the 2023 Hamas attack.
On July 6, 2024, Craig said that President Biden should not run for reelection. She was the first member of Congress from a closely contested district to say this.
Craig has spoken out against Elon Musk. After receiving donations from SpaceX's political action committee in 2024, she donated the money to a veterans' organization.
Personal Life
In 2020, Craig moved to Prior Lake, Minnesota. Before that, she lived in Eagan, Minnesota, for almost 10 years. She and her wife, Cheryl Greene, got married in 2008. They have four sons.
Angie Craig is a Lutheran.
On February 9, 2023, Craig was involved in an incident in her Washington, D.C., apartment building. She was safe after the event.
See also
- List of LGBT members of the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
