Peggy Flanagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peggy Flanagan
|
|
|---|---|
| Gizhiiwewidamookwe | |
.jpg)
Flanagan in 2024
|
|
| 50th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 |
|
| Governor | Tim Walz |
| Preceded by | Michelle Fischbach |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 46A district |
|
| In office November 9, 2015 – January 7, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Ryan Winkler |
| Succeeded by | Ryan Winkler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 22, 1979 Minnesota, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
| Spouses |
Tim Hellendrung
(div. 2017)Thomas Weber
(m. 2019) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA) |
Peggy Flanagan (Ojibwe: Gizhiiwewidamookwe; born September 22, 1979) is an important American politician. She is also a Native American activist. Since 2019, she has served as the 50th lieutenant governor of Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). Before becoming lieutenant governor, Flanagan was a representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.
Flanagan grew up in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. This is a suburb near Minneapolis. She is a citizen of the White Earth Nation. She started her career by helping organize the Native American community in cities. She even worked for U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone's reelection campaign in 2002. From 2005 to 2009, Flanagan was elected to serve on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board. In 2015, she won a special election to represent a part of Minneapolis's western suburbs in the Minnesota House.
In 2018, Flanagan was elected lieutenant governor. She was reelected in 2022. Both times, she ran alongside Tim Walz. She made history as the first woman of color elected to a statewide office in Minnesota. She is also the highest-ranking Native American woman in elected office in the entire nation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peggy Flanagan was raised by her single mother in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Her mother was a phlebotomist, a person who draws blood for tests. Peggy's father, Marvin Manypenny, was an activist. He worked for American Indian land rights and tribal sovereignty. Peggy is a citizen of the White Earth Nation.
In 2002, Flanagan earned two bachelor's degrees from the University of Minnesota. She studied child psychology and American Indian Studies.
Her Career Journey
Working for Change
While she was in college, Peggy Flanagan worked for Senator Paul Wellstone's campaign. She became an organizer for the Native American community in cities. After college, she worked for the Minnesota Council of Churches. Here, she helped connect Native American families with the Minneapolis public school system.
In 2004, Flanagan ran for public office for the first time. She won a seat on the board of Minneapolis Public Schools. She received the most votes among six candidates, including two people who were already on the board. She served one term from 2005 to 2009. Later, she briefly served on the school board again from 2010 to 2011.
Flanagan also worked for Wellstone Action. This group trains activists, organizers, and people who want to run for office. As the Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota, she helped raise Minnesota's minimum wage in 2014. In 2016, she started training social justice leaders. She taught them how to build strong and fair organizations.
Serving in the Minnesota House
On November 3, 2015, Flanagan was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She ran unopposed in a special election. She was sworn in on November 9. At that time, Susan Allen and Republican Steve Green were the only other Native Americans in the Minnesota State House.
In 2016, three other Native women also ran for the Minnesota legislature. These were Mary Kelly Kunesh-Podein, Jamie Becker-Finn, and Chilah Brown. Kunesh-Podein and Becker-Finn were elected to the Minnesota House. They took office in January 2017.
In 2017, Flanagan, Allen, Kunesh-Podein, and Becker-Finn created the Minnesota House Native American Caucus. This group works to represent the issues important to Native Americans in both urban and rural areas.
Becoming Lieutenant Governor
In 2017, Peggy Flanagan decided to run for lieutenant governor. She joined U.S. Representative Tim Walz. They won the DFL primary election in 2018. In the main election, Walz and Flanagan defeated the Republican candidates. Walz and Flanagan were reelected in 2022.
In 2016, Flanagan was invited to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She was the second Native American woman to speak at this convention. She was also one of four chairs for the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Important Issues
Supporting Transgender Rights
Peggy Flanagan supports the rights of transgender people. She believes in providing gender-affirming care for young people who identify as transgender. She supported Governor Walz's order to protect access to gender-affirming care for both adults and youth.
Personal Life and Awards
Peggy Flanagan has a daughter with her former husband, Tim Hellendrung. Their marriage ended in 2017. She lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Flanagan is Catholic and attends St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.
In 2018, Flanagan shared that she was in a relationship with Tom Weber. He was a host for Minnesota Public Radio News. MPR News then changed Weber's job so he would not cover politics related to the governor or legislature. Flanagan and Weber got married in September 2019.
Sadly, Flanagan's brother, Ron Golden, passed away from COVID-19 in 2020.
Awards and Recognition
In February 2020, the National Congress of American Indians gave Flanagan the Native American Leadership Award. This award recognized her work in raising awareness about Native issues. It also honored her efforts to improve the lives of Indigenous people.
In July 2020, Flanagan received the Dr. B. Robert Lewis Award. The Minnesota Public Health Association gave her this award. It was for her work in addressing unfairness in public health.
See also
