Minnesota Lt. Gov. Flanagan in spotlight now. The South Dakota Standard profiled her in 2021

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become the first Native American governor in American history if Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, is elected along with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Flanagan caught the eye of The South Dakota Standard when she spoke at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s 2021 McGovern Day. Here is that report:

Keep an eye on Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

The 41-year-old seems to have a very promising future. She delivered a delightful speech during the McGovern Day ceremony at Great Bear Ski Hill in Sioux Falls Friday.

It was a dazzler. She came across as smart, funny and down to earth. It’s easy to see why she was selected to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention when she was a Minnesota state representative. In her 2016 speech, she read a letter she wrote to her 3-year-old daughter Siobhan, who dreamed of growing up to be president.

Flanagan (seen above in her portrait on the state of Minnesota website), who got her start as a candidate and official as a Minneapolis school board member, was elected lieutenant governor in 2018, running in tandem with Tim Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard before becoming an educator.

Walz, a Nebraska native, taught at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation before moving to Mankato, Minn., to teach social studies and coach football. He later turned to politics, serving six terms as a congressman before running for governor.

“He’s a great guy,” Flanagan said.

I agree with that. I met Tim when he was a teacher in Mankato, where I was an editor for The Free Press. He got into politics after a student of his was thrown out of a rally for President George W. Bush in the fall of 2004, and that just didn’t set right with Walz.

I’ll tell that story in a future column.

(Here it is from 2023:)

Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, delivered the keynote address, packed with memories of her numerous trips to South Dakota — along with several jabs at Gov. Kristi Noem.

Flanagan, 41, said she first got involved in politics by working for Wellstone Action, an organization founded to carry on the work of the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone. Flanagan said her first training seminar was held in Sioux Falls, and she has returned to the state many times.

Growing up, she and her mother relied on government programs to get by, including a “different-colored lunch ticket,” food stamps and other programs.

“It saved my life,” Flanagan said. “And now I can pay that back and back it forward. I am one of ‘those people’ — and ‘those people’ deserve a seat at the decision-making table.”

She said she understands these are difficult times for South Dakota Democrats, with Republicans holding all statewide offices and supermajorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives. Being a Democrat in South Dakota can feel like “pushing a boulder up a hill,” Flanagan said.

It’s also discouraging when the GOP seems determined to silence science, create divisions and spread disinformation. But she said it’s a battle worth having.

“I am also inspired,” she said. “I don’t know about you, but I like a good fight.”

Flanagan encouraged South Dakota Democrats, whom she said are “small but mighty,” to campaign hard for votes.

“Every door is knockable,” she said, pledging to return to South Dakota to help candidates. When speaking to voters, she advised avoiding detailed discussions of technical issues, but instead having personal conversations, like how Medicaid expansion can benefit them.

South Dakotans are “humble and hard-working people,” Flanagan said, and will respond to honest and real discussions. If Democrats feel overwhelmed, she offered this advice:

“Take a break. Say a prayer. Call a friend,” Flanagan said. “And then get back to it.”

She was introduced by Kevin Killer, president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and former state senator and representative. Flanagan, 41, referred to Killer, 42, as an “older brother.”

Remi Beautiful Bald Eagle, intergovernmental affairs coordinator for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a 2020 Public Utilities Commission candidate, spoke about what it means to be a patriot. Beautiful Bald Eagle, a Mnicoujou Lakota from Eagle Butte, served 22 years in the Army as a paratrooper and combat engineer in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served in South Korea.

McGovern Day was held on June 25, the 145th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Beautiful Bald Eagle said the warriors who went into battle that day were patriots who loved their country and the people who lived there.

A few decades after that famous 1876 battle, whites and Native Americans served side-by-side in American uniforms. They forged “common bonds,” he said.

Beautiful Bald Eagle said when he was in other countries, he was asked how a Native American could serve a country that had oppressed and killed so many of his people.

“Because I love the people and this land,” he always replied.

The ceremony also was highlighted by drum music and singing from Travis Harden, a Winnebago Hochunk and Lakota singer and artist, and Cante Heart, the SDDP’s Native American outreach director and West River field director, who also provided gifts to the speakers. Heart, a Sicangu Lakota, Ihanktowan Dakota and Winnebago Hochunk, sang trills as Harden sang and drummed.

Former U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, the son of former Sen. Tim Johnson, who received a lifetime achievement award Friday, noted the growing influence of Native American leaders in a tweet after the ceremony.

“After recognizing the past, Democrats looked to the future,” he wrote. “That future in South Dakota and Minnesota are Native leaders like ⁦Kevin Killer and Peggy Flanagan.”

Siobhan can still dream about becoming president. But maybe her mom will get there first.

Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states and contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Republish with permission.