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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.»
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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.
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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.»
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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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Meet Analilia Mejia, the Sanders-AOC backed progressive who just won election to Congress
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Analilia Mejia, a one-time labor organizer backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, is headed to Congress.
Mejia, running on a platform that emphasized Medicare for All, a $25 minimum wage with the first $40,000 tax-free, a wealth tax, abolishing ICE and holding President Donald Trump and his administration accountable, convincingly defeated Republican candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.
With her nearly 20-point victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the more moderate Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.
Mejia, who is likely to align herself with the so-called «Squad» of younger, diverse and progressive House Democrats, called herself the «sassy new member of Congress» in her victory speech.
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Analilia Mejia smiles as she gestures to supporters after winning New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District special election, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Montclair, N.J. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced a steep uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election.
Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was unopposed for the GOP congressional nomination, aimed to paint Mejia as too far to the left for the district. He told Fox News Digital the choice for voters was «between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.»
«I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16,» an optimistic Hathaway predicted.
But Hathaway came up far short, given the rough political climate facing Republicans and the traditional headwinds for the party in power.
THIS PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZER WINS SPECIAL ELECTION, EARNING TICKET TO CONGRESS
Mejia, on Thursday night, pushed back against the claims she’s a radical.
«My opponent has spent his whole campaign calling me names and saying my ideas are too radical. But we know, that is a mind trick, on brand for a spin doctor, but easily countered if you just open your eyes,» Mejia said. «It is not radical to say that one of the wealthiest nations in the world should do more to protect the health of its people.»
Here’s a closer look at Mejia and where she stands on the issues.
Who is Analilia Mejia
Mejia was born in New Jersey and is the daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants.
After working as a union organizer, Mejia served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign. She later worked in the Department of Labor in former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Mejia pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out a more moderate rival, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field divided the moderate and center-left vote.
Besides the backing of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, Mejia was also endorsed by other top progressive leaders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
PROGRESSIVES NOTCH ANOTHER WIN OVER DEMOCRATIC MODERATES AS SANDERS-AOC ALLY NEARS CONGRESS
Analilia Mejia secured the Democratic Party nomination in a special election to find out who will take over newly-elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant House seat. (Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Mejia’s nomination victory was another big boost for the left against the establishment since now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
Immigration
Mejia repeatedly took aim at Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and called for scrapping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency most visible in the aggressive tactics used in the administration’s massive deportation effort.
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«I say abolish ICE now,» Mejia said on the campaign trail. «You can’t reform it. It’s not fixable. Get it out.»
After her primary victory, Mejia gave credit to her stance on immigration in the wake of backlash against the Trump administration following the January fatal shootings in Minnesota by federal agents of two U.S. citizens protesting immigration operations.
«I think the fact that I was bold and unafraid to speak the truth was incredibly important,» she told reporters. «I think voters feel that they want to have a representative that actually represents them, and they cannot watch what’s happening in Minnesota, what happened in Chicago, what happened in California, what happened in Morristown across this district.»
Supreme Court
Mejia, like many on the left, has railed against rulings by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
«The Supreme Court has been captured by right-wing radicals who care more about doing Trump’s bidding than the rule of law,» Mejia charged on her campaign website.
She supported «articles of impeachment against Justices Thomas and Alito» for what she says is «their corruption and conflicts of interest.»
Campaign signs for Republican candidate Joe Hathaway and Democrat Analilia Mejia in the NJ-11 special congressional election, in Randolph, New Jersey on April 13, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Mejia also backed «term limits for newly appointed Supreme Court justices, a binding code of ethics with real enforcement for all federal judges.»
And Mejia said she would support «expanding the courts if necessary to restore balance.»
Student Loan Debt
On her campaign website, Mejia stated, «We’re going to cancel all student loan debt.»
And she pledges that she’ll «fight to make college tuition free at community colleges and trade schools for everyone.»
Taxes and Minimum Wage
As part of her «economy for everyone agenda,» Mejia argued, «If you work 40 hours a week, you should make at least $40,000 a year, and you shouldn’t pay a dime in federal taxes on that first $40,000.»
And she highlighted that she helped lead the fight in New Jersey to «win the $15 minimum wage.»
«With the cost of living rising every day, it’s time to raise the minimum wage at the national level to $25/hour,» Mejia emphasized on the campaign trail.
Israel
Malinowski, an assistant secretary of state in former President Barack Obama’s administration who later represented a neighboring congressional district in northern New Jersey from 2018 to 2022 before losing re-election, was considered the front-runner in the Democratic nomination race heading into primary day.
But Malinowski was the target of a slew of attack ads put out by a group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which opposed Malinowski because he said he supports conditions on aid to Israel.
The AIPAC-aligned super PAC United Democracy Project dished out more than $2.3 million to take aim at Malinowski, even though AIPAC had previously supported Malinowski in his past congressional elections.
Jan 15, 2026; Caldwell, NJ, USA; Tom Malinowski during a meet and greet hosted by The League of Women Voters at Caldwell University with the candidates running for the Democratic nomination to fill the Congressional seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. (Michael Karas/USA TODAY NETWORK)
But the AIPAC strategy backfired, because Mejia is much tougher on Israel than Malinowski.
Mejia was the only candidate in the race who raised her hand at a forum in January when asked if they agreed with human rights groups who charge Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the general election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
«She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7,» Hathaway said. «I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.»
Mejia pledged to «protect the rights of Jewish constituents» and said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said, «Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.»
Mejia last week wrote that she was «honored» after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a «heel turn.»
Hathaway told Fox News Digital, «I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia … and her platform.»
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It appears Hathaway was right: Some towns with heavy Jewish populations swung significantly to the right in Thursday’s election.
But it wasn’t nearly enough to help Hathaway blunt Mejia’s overall support.
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«Se atragantó con comida»: una madre buscó explicar por qué había muerto su hijo, pero quedó detenida tras una pericia clave
Un caso estremecedor sacudió a la ciudad de Clearwater, Kansas: la justicia acusó a Shanna Kay Whitton por la muerte de su hijo de apenas 15 meses, Matthew Jon Whitton, ocurrida en agosto de 2025. La mujer fue imputada este lunes de homicidio en primer grado, abuso infantil, poner en peligro a un menor y provocar un incendio agravado.
Todo comenzó el 25 de agosto, cuando los servicios de emergencia llegaron a los Mimosa Arms Apartments, en la cuadra 700 de East Janet Street, tras un llamado por un bebé inconsciente que, según la madre, “se había atragantado con comida”. El nene no respiraba y, pese a los intentos médicos, murió tres días después en el hospital.
Sin embargo, el relato de la madre no convenció a los investigadores. “No creímos la historia que la madre nos dio sobre el supuesto atragantamiento”, afirmó el sheriff del condado de Sedgwick, Jeff Easter.
La autopsia desmintió la versión de la madre y destapó un historial alarmante
La autopsia fue contundente: Matthew murió por complicaciones de encefalopatía hipóxico-isquémica causada por asfixia intencional.
El informe forense descartó la presencia de restos de comida en las vías respiratorias del niño y la muerte fue catalogada como homicidio.
Un incendio previo y más sospechas
Durante la investigación, la policía también revisó un incendio ocurrido el 26 de julio en el mismo departamento. Según el comunicado del sheriff, el fuego se inició en la habitación de Matthew mientras él estaba adentro. Los peritos concluyeron que el incendio fue provocado de manera intencional y que, en ese momento, había varios departamentos ocupados en el edificio.
Por este hecho, Whitton fue arrestada en octubre bajo cargos de incendio agravado y permanece detenida desde entonces.
Un historial de incidentes bajo la lupa: sospechas de abuso y negligencia
El caso de Matthew no fue el único en la familia. El informe del Centro Regional de Ciencias Forenses de Sedgwick reveló que la hermana mayor del nene, Gypsy Rose, de 2 años, también murió en 2024 tras supuestamente atragantarse con una uva. Aunque en un principio se consideró un accidente, la policía reabrió la investigación tras las nuevas pruebas.
Ahora investigan si Shanna Kay Whitton mató también a su hija, Gypsy Rose, en 2024. (Foto: gentileza KAKE News).
Los registros médicos y policiales detallan una larga serie de episodios sospechosos:
- Mayo 2024: Matthew nació con problemas respiratorios y debió ser internado en neonatología.
- Julio 2024: Su hermana fue hospitalizada por asfixia accidental y, días después, murió por una presunta obstrucción de la vía aérea con una uva.
- Agosto y septiembre 2024: Whitton reportó caídas, dificultades respiratorias y episodios de hipotermia en Matthew, pero los médicos no hallaron causas claras.
- Octubre 2024: Matthew fue internado por asfixia tras compartir la cama con su madre, quien se despertó encima de él.
- Junio 2025: El nene fue hospitalizado por un “casi ahogamiento” en la bañera.
- Julio 2025: Se desató un incendio en el departamento, con origen en la habitación de Matthew. La investigación determinó que el fuego fue intencional y Whitton enfrenta cargos por incendio agravado
Sospechas de “abuso médico infantil” y advertencias previas
El informe forense y los documentos de los servicios sociales de Kansas detallaron que varios profesionales de la salud y asistentes sociales habían manifestado su preocupación por la seguridad de los chicos bajo el cuidado de Whitton. Las dudas apuntaban a si los reiterados incidentes eran producto de negligencia o de lo que antes se conocía como “síndrome de Munchausen por poder”, hoy denominado abuso médico infantil, cuando un cuidador (generalmente la madre o el padre) exagera, inventa o provoca síntomas de enfermedad en un niño para hacerlo parecer enfermo. Esta conducta busca obtener atención médica, procedimientos diagnósticos o tratamientos innecesarios que pueden poner en riesgo la salud y la vida del menor.
La investigación reveló que la familia tenía un “historial extenso” con el sistema médico, el Departamento de Familias de Kansas y la policía. Las reuniones del equipo de Evaluación de Niños en Riesgo ya habían documentado sospechas de abuso antes del desenlace fatal.
La investigación y la voz de la justicia
“Estas investigaciones llevan tiempo porque tenemos la responsabilidad de hacerlas bien”, explicó el sheriff Easter. “Nuestros detectives están comprometidos a reconstruir los hechos y a ser la voz de los niños que no pueden defenderse”.
La acusada sigue detenida con una fianza de 500.000 dólares, según informaron las autoridades locales. Mientras tanto, la justicia reabrió la investigación por la muerte de su hija mayor.
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