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Minnesota Republicans reveal which far-left candidate they want to challenge in open Senate race
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Republican strategists and lawmakers are hoping that when voters head to the polls in November to elect the next U.S. Senator of Minnesota, they’ll be forced to choose between either a Republican candidate — or Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
In a Democratic primary that has yet to play out, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., believes Flanagan would give Republicans better odds than her opponent, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn.
«You’ve got the radical Left that is really upending the party. It’s that crazy Marxist anarchist group that is in Minneapolis, especially with a primary,» Emmer said in an interview with local media.
«Think about this. You’ve got Angie Craig, who will have all the money. But she knows that her numbers are in the tank against this radical, wild, wild-eyed Peggy Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor. So, guess who shows up [to the primary]? All the crazies from Minneapolis.»
EX-NFL REPORTER LAUNCHES GOP SENATE BID, REVEALS HOW SHE WILL FLIP SCRIPT ON STATE’S ‘CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP»
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and candidate for U.S. Senate Peggy Flanagan, left, pictured alongside her Democratic challenger Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., right. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; David Berding/Getty Images)
«Peggy Flanagan is likely going to be their candidate, and that is good for us,» Emmer said.
The assessment isn’t unique to Emmer.
The Democratic race began in February of last year when Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., sparked a four-way Democratic primary with news that she would not pursue reelection in 2026.
In addition to Craig and Flanagan, Billy Nord, an anti-establishment activist, and Melisa López Franzen, a former minority leader of the Minnesota Senate, announced bids for the seat. But it didn’t take long for Craig and Flanagan to emerge as the clear-cut frontrunners.
Craig, a former journalist, businesswoman and a current four-term U.S. congresswoman, has $4.8 million in cash on hand, according to FEC records.
Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor for the past seven years, has $1.1 million cash on hand.
Nord has not reported contributions with the FEC and López dropped out of the race in May of last year.
DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE PRIMARY SAYS SHE ‘REGRETS’ VOTE ON LAKEN RILEY ACT, DRAWS GOP BACKLASH
ST. PAUL, MN. – NOVEMBER 2018: Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Laborer Party) Lieutenant Governor-elect Peggy Flanagan and Governor-elect Tim Walz arrived at their transition offices in the State Capitol Thursday morning, November 8, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune)
While Republican onlookers believe both frontrunners can be described as «far-left,» many have pointed out Flanagan shares platform similarities with more polarizing, high-profile Democrats — such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has shared the same platform as Gov. Tim Walz, who she has called an «incredible partner.» Walz was hammered during his failed 2024 vice presidential bid for all of his far-left proposals.
In the view of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, that makes for a Republican advantage.
«She, too, supports Medicare for All, wants to ‘re-imagine’ policing and attended anti-ICE protests where she called on people to «put their bodies on the line» to defend illegal immigrants from ICE,» the NRSC said in a press release.
More notably, Republicans believe Flanagan’s greatest liability is a tenure that overlaps with recent revelations of up to $9 billion in fraud through government benefit programs.
Through scores of schemes, fraudsters in Minnesota allegedly siphoned funding from government programs like daycare centers and health clinics while returning no benefits, greatly exaggerating their services and pocketing government funding.
The fraud revelations made national news last year, raising questions about how state leadership could have missed the sheer size of the losses.
DFL party Chair Mike Erlandson told the Minnesota Star Tribune he believes fraud will remain front-and-center in the minds of voters.
«I don’t think there’s any way that this issue isn’t still being talked about in November. And anybody that was a party to it, whether you’re a legislator or Lt. Gov. Flanagan, if she’s the nominee, is going to have to answer questions around it,» Erlandson said.
NRSC Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., echoed that sentiment.
«From allowing billions of dollars in fraud to vilifying law enforcement, the Walz-Flanagan administration has failed Minnesotans,» Scott wrote in a post to X.
For her own part, Flanagan’s campaign told Fox News Digital she likes her chances to win in a general election, pointing to Minnesota’s solidly-blue track record of sending Democrats to the U.S. Senate.
«Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican statewide in over 20 years – with Trump in the White House and the chaos ICE inflicted on Minnesotans, this is not going to be Craig’s or the GOP’s year,» Alexandra Fetissoff, a Flanagan campaign spokeswoman, said.
«Peggy Flanagan is the only candidate in this race who has won statewide, the only candidate not taking corporate money and the only candidate that hasn’t enabled Trump’s ICE. Minnesotans know Peggy and trust her leadership and that’s why she’ll be the next Senator from Minnesota.»
MICHELE TAFOYA SAYS MINNESOTA NEEDS POLITICAL OUTSIDER ‘WITH A SPINE’ IN REPUBLICAN SENATE BID
ST. PAUL, MN. – JUNE 2022: Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Laborer Party) Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan speaks during a press conference Saturday, June 25, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith joined Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan at the State Capitol for a Press Conference with Planned Parenthood North Central States CEO and President Sarah Stoesz a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune)
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When asked if he stood by his comments on the Minnesota primary, Emmer said he believes Republicans will run a competitive race, regardless of the Democratic nominee.
«Minnesotans will reject both of these far-left, fraud-enabling radicals who would only dig our state into an even deeper hole than it’s already in. Good luck to Flanagan and Craig as they continue fighting tooth and nail to win over the cop hating, open-border extremist base while alienating commonsense Minnesotans,» Emmer said.
Craig and Flanagan will face off in the primary on Aug. 11. Fox News Digital reached out to Craig for comment.
primary results, republicans elections, minnesota fraud exposed, tim walz, campaigning
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., nearly a month after being hospitalized, revealed what actually happened to cause his absence from the Senate.
In a lengthy statement released Sunday evening, McConnell attributed his childhood fight with polio to a fall he suffered last month which landed him in the hospital. He was «briefly unconscious,» he said in an open letter to Kentuckians, and while recovering was hit with a «mild case of pneumonia.»
«My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,» McConnell said. «I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages.»
MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., revealed that a fall, spurred by his childhood bouts with polio, led to his hospitalization. But, he gave no clear timeline on his return to the Senate. (Courtesy of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office/Reuters)
Yet, when he will return to the Senate remains a mystery, something that McConnell himself acknowledged.
«As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet,» McConnell said. «But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you.»
His attending physician noted that McConnell has, «experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition.»
MCCONNELL WAS FOUND ‘UNCONSCIOUS’ IN HOME LAST MONTH AS CONDITION REMAINS UNKNOWN
«He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries,» McConnell’s doctor said.
«A comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage,» his doctor continued. «Early in his hospitalization, he developed pneumonia, which responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment.»
The latest update on the longtime lawmaker’s health comes after the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine on Saturday night.
McConnell’s absence, coupled with the shocking death of Graham, leaves the Senate down two crucial votes amid a dead sprint to wrap up key parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda through July and into early August.
FROM ‘DISGRACE’ TO ‘FAMILY’: TRUMP’S REMARKABLE JOURNEY WITH LINDSEY GRAHAM
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the way back to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
It also comes after over three weeks of speculation as to why the Senate GOP’s longest serving leader in history was sidelined.
His office for several weeks did not reveal the true nature of his condition, nor explain how he ended up in the hospital. That prompted a firestorm online that alleged that McConnell was in a vegetative state.
Adding to the morbid intrigue was leaked emergency dispatch audio from June 14, the day he was hospitalized, that revealed the longtime Senate Republican was «unconscious» and may have suffered a heart attack.
Further compounding the hazy nature of the situation was his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s, trip to China just days after his hospitalization. Chao’s office previously told Fox News Digital that, «The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors.»
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«During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador,» her office said. «The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.»
McConnell’s statement did not directly address much of the speculation that surrounded his hospitalization. But, he did vow to return to the Senate once he was able.
«You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work,» McConnell said. «But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.»
politics, mitch mcconnell, lindsey graham, senate elections, health
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A migrant wanted in connection with the brutal murder of an American mother in Ireland was in the country despite having his asylum application rejected, according to Irish media.
The man, described by Irish police as a «person of interest,» was in the process of appealing the asylum decision and was allowed to remain in the country when Jamey Carney, 43, was beaten and suffocated in her home in Killarney, County Kerry, the Irish Mirror reported.
Despite his status, the outlet said he was still in the possession of his passport and left Ireland on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, before Carney’s body was discovered Tuesday, triggering an international manhunt and a murder investigation.
It is unclear when his asylum application was refused or why it was denied. Irish police have refused to name the man.
AMERICAN MOTHER MURDERED IN IRISH TOURIST TOWN AS INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT TARGETS ALLEGED ASYLUM SEEKER
American citizen Jamey Carney, left, and Inch Beach in County Kerry, Ireland, a popular tourist destination on the country’s scenic southwest coast near Killarney. (Jamey Carney/Facebook; Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images)
The reports are likely to intensify scrutiny of Ireland’s asylum system and why the man remained in the country after reportedly being denied asylum.
The Irish Mirror reported the Jordanian national had arrived in Ireland in 2024 and been living in a state-run migrant shelter in the idyllic town before spending increasing amounts of time at Carney’s home after they became romantically involved.
He first arrived in the United Kingdom before traveling through Northern Ireland and eventually settling in County Kerry, according to the Irish Mirror.
His social media accounts contain posts from the United Kingdom and Turkey in recent years.
Carney’s social media profiles described her as a «New Yorker in Ireland» and showed her with a man she identified as her partner and writing that they were a «mixed couple.» Multiple Irish media outlets have identified the man as the person police are seeking, though Irish police have not publicly confirmed his identity or reported immigration status.
Fox News Digital asked Irish police and the Department of Justice to confirm reports that he had been refused asylum and was appealing that decision. Neither agency confirmed the reports.
HERE’S WHY IRELAND IS AT BOILING POINT OVER MASS IMMIGRATION
American citizen Jamey Carney, left, and members of Ireland’s national police force, An Garda Síochána, patrol Grafton Street in Dublin in a file photo. Irish police have faced criticism for not publicly identifying the person of interest in Carney’s murder. (Jamey Carney/Facebook; Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Detectives believe Carney died around 11 p.m. Monday, roughly 14 hours before her body was discovered, according to The Irish Independent.
Her body was found on Tuesday at around 1:30 p.m. local time by her 13-year-old daughter.
By that time, the man had boarded a flight to Istanbul having traveled 200 miles by bus to Dublin Airport.
Despite the manhunt entering its sixth day, police have yet to name or provide any details about the person on the run, drawing criticism on both sides of the Atlantic. Irish police said that investigators are working with international law enforcement partners as the murder investigation continues.
Detectives issued alerts to airports, ports, train stations and bus stations within just over an hour of Carney’s body being discovered, The Irish Independent reported. However, by then, the man had already left Ireland.
According to the Irish Mirror, investigators now fear he may already have traveled onward to his home country of Jordan, which does not have an extradition treaty with Ireland.
A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital the search is expected to be difficult because the man had a significant head start before investigators were alerted to Carney’s death.
The entrance to the Homeland housing estate off Muckross Road in Killarney, County Kerry, where American citizen Jamey Carney was found dead at her home. Irish police have launched a murder investigation. (Google Maps)
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Carney, a New York native, moved to Ireland in 2021 and has family living in the Killarney area.
The State Department told Fox News Digital it was providing consular assistance to the victim’s family.
crime, ireland, homicide, immigration, illegal immigrants, us, world
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