Minnesota primary primer: 5 questions with DFL US Senate candidates Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS conducted a series of 1-on-1 interviews leading up to the Minnesota primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Below are the interviews with the DFL U.S. Senate candidates, Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan. The extended interviews are below them.

RELATED: 1-on-1 with leading DFL candidates for US Senate in Minnesota

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5 Questions

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    5 questions with Angie Craig 









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    5 questions on 5 issues: Peggy Flanagan, DFL candidate for US Senate 

Extended Interviews

Transcripts

Flanagan Interview

Flanagan: “I think that we have to restore the cuts to Medicaid … Ultimately, I didn’t start out this campaign supporting Medicare for all, but I got there after talking to Minnesotans all across the state. I talked to a farmer who has a $16,000 deductible, which is totally outrageous.”

Hauser: “Universal healthcare, Medicare for all, whatever you want to call it … most people do call it expensive. How could we afford that without massive tax increases?”

Flanagan: “Well, what I would say is healthcare is already outrageously expensive, and folks are not getting enough for it.“

Hauser: “What would you propose to shore up Social Security?“

Flanagan: “I support applying the Social Security contributions to income above $250,000 so that the wealthiest contribute more of their income without raising taxes on 93% of the households.“

Hauser: “If you’re elected to the U.S. Senate, what would you do to try to find a way to get the United States out of this war assuming it’s still going in January when you would take office?“

Flanagan: “I would not vote to support the war in Iran just as I would not vote to send more weapons to Israel to fight this war.”

Hauser: “Do you think ICE and Border Patrol need major changes in the way they enforce immigration in this country?”

Flanagan: “That’s an understatement, Tom. I believe we need to rip ICE apart.”

Craig Interview

Craig: “Look, I think some of the small business tax cuts, you know, 199A, were good in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ but moving the majority of the tax cuts to the most wealthy among us I think shortchanges the middle class in our country. So if I could rescind the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ and revise it, it would focus on cutting taxes on the middle class in our country.”

Hauser: “On the issue of healthcare, that same budget bill also cut many people off Medicaid, including many Minnesotans, unless they meet mandatory work requirements.”

Craig: “Targeting the neediest among, in our community is not the way to do it. You know, pharmaceutical drug pricing is out of control. There’s no transparency for specialty drugs or compound drugs. The way we pay for healthcare in this country on a fee-for-service system where the more volume a doctor or hospital completes, the more they get paid. We absolutely need to rip apart and change this healthcare system to reduce costs.”

Hauser: “Social Security faces a funding shortfall by 2032 … which would result in a 22% benefit cut if Congress does not act. What would you propose to fix that problem? Would you support raising the retirement age?”

Craig: “I don’t support raising the retirement age. I think you can solve it by asking the lucky, wealthy people among us to pay their fair share.”

Hauser: “What would you do, assuming this war is still going in January, to end it?”

Craig: “I’ve already, as a member of Congress, voted for four war powers resolutions to make the president end this illogical and illegal war in Iran.”Hauser: “Do you support major changes in the way ICE and the Border Patrol operate in this country when enforcing immigration law?”

Craig: “I support dismantling Donald Trump and Republicans’ ICE, and that means no more funding until they are willing to police in the way that local law enforcement does. No masks. Proper identification.”
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