Minnesota Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan

Welcome to It's Open with Alana Glazer. It's me, Alana Glazer. I am so excited about this conversation that I'm bringing to you today that I just came off of, just finished. I'm so proud, honestly, to be able to deliver this gift to you, which includes hope for our dear, sweet United States of America. My guest today is Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She's the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, and she is on the front lines of everyday Americans keeping their neighbors safe from assaults by ICE and the federal government. Peggy Flanagan is the kind of elected official that gives me hope. She started her career in public service by organizing and fighting for affordable or free basic human rights for her local community. She served on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board, Public Schools Board, yes, plural, and also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives State Legislature in Minnesota. And now Peggy Flanagan since 2019 is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, but now she is running for U.S. Senate. She is one of the highest ranking Native American women in U.S. political history. She is also a mom, and this woman does not take corporate PAC money. I'm so excited. I can't wait for you to listen to and enjoy and learn from and be inspired by my guest today, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. Hi. Hi. Thank you so much for joining. I am thrilled to have you here and to be in conversation with you today. Thanks so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here. Oh, gosh. With all that is going on the federal government's assault on Minnesota and using ICE to do so, this is scary, true, truly terrifying things we're hearing out of Minnesota. It's like I'm sorry to say, but we're looking to you for guidance. And I know not sorry, but I mean I'm relieved because you have a playbook. You guys have been surviving it, and it's a relief to have your leadership. I appreciate that. I have never been more proud to be Minnesotan than I am right now. And just last night, as I was attacking in my kiddo, she was having a hard time falling asleep and she said, Mom, it feels so weird to go to school with everything that's going on. And she's like, it's kind of overwhelming. And I said, well, let's talk about that. And I was like, I get it. I said, it feels hard to kind of do anything right now. And I said, you remember that Mr. Rogers saying that we got to look for the helpers when things are hard? And she said, Yeah, I was like, well, let's think about all the helpers. So we talked about all the helpers that we knew, the helpers who were bringing groceries to folks, the helpers who were standing outside of schools, the helpers who were donating money. And we're sort of going through this big conversation. And then we just said a prayer before she went to bed. And it is just this like bizarre thing, like, parenting in this moment, talking to a 13 year old who like knows what's going on. And also finding all these bright lights when things feel impossible. And just moments of joy and resistance among all of the chaos and cruelty. That's the stuff we got to hold on to. And Minnesotans are giving us a lot of things that we can be hopeful about, even in the face of all of this. It's breathtaking. It's horrifying. And we're both moms. I have a four and a half year old. And I'm like, so like no offense, I'm so grateful that I don't have to explain this to her yet, you know, that I don't have to because it makes the parent confront the reality in a way that's like, like my kids in this world, in this state that's being attacked, what does it look like on the ground right now in Minnesota? So yesterday, we went to church. As we do, I'm Catholic and native. And so it's like it's complicated, but you know, but we walked up to church and as there has been for the last several weeks, there were constitutional observers who were standing outside of our church because we go to church with a lot of folks of different different statuses. And they said, can you use the side door? Because someone was just abducted at a block away about five minutes ago. So we use the side door. And then I went through through mass. And at the end of mass, they're like, all right, if folks can just make sure that you're walking out with with somebody, so we can get everybody to their their cars. And this is just kind of what happens. And like, that's what it looks like on the ground. And, you know, we figured out how to feed 300 families every week, your church. And, you know, what it looks like on the ground is just moms, a lot of moms who are deeply committed to mutual aid, you know, parents who are standing outside of daycares, schools, places of worship, and folks who are just showing up in every way possible. You know, it also looked like on Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon, there was a native led memorial for a good arval looking horse. He was a Lakota spiritual leader, came to town, and did this beautiful ceremony for Renee's family in Powderhorn Park. There's hundreds of people who showed up, people were singing together, folks across, you know, faith denominations and walks of life, children sliding down the hill, right, in the snow on signs that they had made, beautiful puppets. And it really is just people meeting this like immediate needs of their neighbors, and also finding places for music and poetry and ceremony, which also feels like it's incredibly important. We're in this moment right now where it's humanity that is being attacked. And we've seen different scapegoats, I mean, certainly throughout the history of this country, Native Americans, to black people, to immigrants. Most recently, the trans people as scapegoats is such a loud, a loud yell from this hateful side of the political spectrum. But now we're, I think, really seeing and connecting the dots that it's technocrats versus our humanity. Right. And when you paint this picture about children sliding down a hill on signs they made, honoring Renee Nicole Good, who was executed by ICE and a mother, it's unfair. It's so unfair. This beautiful humanity would come out even if our basic needs were met. And it's a miracle that we are humans are miraculous. It is a miracle that our humanity shines like light, even in these circumstances. But it's just so unfair. It's so cool. It's so creepy. It's so disgusting. And you can't explain it, right? Like, I don't know how to explain it to my kid, right? Like, I don't know how to wrap my head around it other than, like, we have been here before, right? And so one of the things that I find comfort in is for so many reasons, like, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not even supposed to exist, right? As a Anishinaabe Kway, as a Native woman, I'm not even supposed to be here. But it was the resiliency and determination and grit and spirit of people who came before me, why I get to sit here and exist. And so I've been thinking a lot about resiliency and resiliency is in our bones. And we think about all the people who have loved us into existence and why we are here. That is so visceral and so real in this moment. And there's also this other piece of, like, what choice do we have other than to fight and show up and call out the violence of our federal government? You know, as you talked about Renee Good, and I keep coming back to the images of her vehicle after she was executed, and the stuffed animals that were, like, falling out of the glove box, right? And just how much blood was in that photo. And it's horrific. And we have to talk about it. And we have to talk about the fact that Alex Pretty was killed by the government that he works for, right? Killed by the very government that he worked for as a nurse in the VA. Like, we have to talk about that too. And so, as people are like, Oh, the numbers are being drawn down. And, you know, in so many ways, it's not actually like about the numbers. It's about the tactics that are being used, right? So the ice tactics are becoming more insidious and relatively quiet and manipulating, like, plain clothes tactics and pretending to be neighbors, trying to bring kids home from school, when in fact it's ice agents in normal clothes, trying to kidnap children, and then following mutual aid, people bringing mutual aid. Can you speak to these manipulative tactics that are not the image of Alex Pretty holding a phone about to be shot, or the video of Renee Good being killed in her car by, you know, scary masked agents? No, now they're pretending to be normal people. Yeah. So we have stories of ice agents going to the homes of immigrants in normal clothes with grocery bags, to get people to open their doors. Pretending to be Minnesotans who are actually organizing to feed families who are too afraid to leave their homes at all, right? I mean, it's fucked up, right? And then, you know, the Liam, Liam Conejo-Ramos, who's a little guy in the bunny hat and the Spider-Man backpack, who, you know, think, thank God someone got a photo of him, because the power of that photo, I think, is what led people to respond, led to his release, and then the federal government trying to, you know, fast-track, right, their removal hearing, and that there are other children, right? Chloe, who is two, who is detained and moved to Texas, who's now back home. Elizabeth, another child in the Columbia Heights District in Minnesota, who was removed along with her mother, who now is, either has been ordered to be brought back or is a brat in Minnesota, that, that to me is the most chilling piece of all of this are the kids. And had we not had a photo of Liam, would he still be in detention with his father and how many other children that we don't know about have been detained? And for me, this is like reminiscent of, you know, the boarding school era for Native Americans as kids, right, were taken from their families, scooped up, you know, to kill the Indian, to save the man, and just how familiar that is, that tactic, right, of taking children or separating them from their parents of the federal government, and it's still happening in real time in front of us right now is horrific. The, the feeling that I think about all the time when we have these conversations about parents being separated from their kids or families, parent and child being detained, is that feeling when you get your kiddo out of the bathtub, and when you like, you know, wrap them in the towel and you wrap your arms all the way around them. And it is like one of the coziest embraces with your kid you'll ever have. I think about that. And how there are these families in detention with these like tinfoil, mylar blankets, and that coziness that is completely absent from these monsters and that system. And it's, and it's hard to stay in that place for very long because it just makes you so angry and full of despair. But it's the reality and so we have to talk about it. And I think that's also the difference that we've seen in Minnesota is that people are documenting what they are seeing. And, you know, almost 30,000 people in Minnesota have been trained to be constitutional observers or, you know, have gone through Know Your Rights training. That is one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox right now. Oh, um, oh my god, I'm so pho-clumped. It's like, when you paint the picture of true safety, it's, it's, it's so little. It's so little. There is actually, it's very simple to fulfill people's basic needs and basic human rights. The gymnastics that are done at a policy level, at a messaging to the public level, to brainwash and trick people into thinking that what's happening is okay. It takes so much gymnastics when organizing around basic needs and then letting whatever the wealthiest people be the wealthiest people, it just would be so much simpler. This violence and cruelty, it's, it is hard to make sense of. But when you talk about community, I guess that, that does help make sense of it. And, you know, when, when you brought up the boarding schools, family separation by way of boarding schools with Native Americans being separated from their parents and put into this indoctrinating system, it makes me think about your upbringing. So you grew up with a single mom and I was, I'm really curious about your connection to your Native ancestry and routine rituals in your day to day growing up. My mom was a five foot tall skinny white lady with like blonde hair and blue eyes. And, you know, growing up, folks were like, are you adopted? And I was like, no, that's my mom. And she worked incredibly hard. She moved me to the community of St. Louis Park where I still live with my family when I was just a baby. And she used a section eight housing voucher to pay for the rent. We relied on a snap, which back in the day we called food stamps. And I was that kid with a different colored lunch ticket who, you know, carried a box of commodity cheese under my arm like a football. We relied on Medicaid or medical assistance as it's called in Minnesota. I was a kid with really bad asthma. And so there were times when I missed a lot of school and I felt like I was in the hospital more than I was out. So that was my health care. And the Child Care Assistance Program allowed my mom to go back to school. She got her certificate in phlebotomy. And so we like always teased her that she had to be a vampire every year for Halloween. And she, you know, when she graduated from St. Kate's, she like walked across the stage in this like beautiful bright blue cap and gown when I was seven. And I felt like I was walking across that stage. I remember it like viscerally. And so here's this woman, you know, who just worked so hard for me and sacrificed so much for me. And so I think about everything that is happening in this country that I am here because of these very programs that are being attacked and dismantled. And I am, you know, not here in spite of them. I am here because of those investments. So there's, you know, that piece of my mom was incredible. And she did her very best. She, you know, she knew that it was important that I was in relationship with my dad's side of the family, which is where my Anishinaabe Ojibwe roots come from, you know, so made sure that my auntie in South Minneapolis and my cousins that I spent a lot of time with them. But it wasn't until, you know, I was about to graduate college that I reconnected with my dad. And he was super like fist in the air. He'd say, my girl, I want to burn down the system. And you want to change it from the inside out. We need both. And like right now, we are in that moment, right? Like for that's all happening. And so my dad was not ready or healthy enough to be in my life until I was older, but I got the best version of him. And for that, I am grateful. So my Ojibwe name is Gijiwebida Mokwe, which means speaks in a loud and clear voice woman. And I am so grateful for my community. And, you know, I am a member of the White Earth Nation, which is the largest tribe in Minnesota, but also like grew up in the urban native community. We've got an incredibly strong native community in Minneapolis and St. Paul. And it is the birthplace of the American Indian movement. And so, yeah, so the organizing work that is happening on the ground in Minnesota right now, so much of that is happening in the native community. There's the Indigenous Protectors movement, which essentially started after the murder of George Floyd and has been a consistent presence now is ramping up again. And these folks are on the streets every day, run out of powwow grounds, which is a coffee shop and on Franklin Ave in South Minneapolis. Yep, appropriately, right, titled. And so that is also, you know, part of that legacy. So my identity as an Anishinaabe Kwe is really important to me, but making sure that people know like that urban native piece, which is strong and rugged and shows up for community in a really major way, that's also part of me and how I grew up. Yeah, wow. I started organizing and like really doing advocacy work 10 years ago. And I'm 38, so I started at 28. And something that like has not, the dots that haven't been connected, I think for mainstream Americans, is how Indigenous people, Indigenous organizers and Black organizers created human rights. You know, the conservative side has demonized the idea of civil rights, but it's human rights. And as like technology ramps up and the resources for technology are being, resources are being put into technology and data centers more than humanity. Like, you know, as you talk about Indigenous people creating a protective system in Minneapolis, since George Floyd's murder, we're all going to need this system of protection. We're all going to have to be protecting ourselves and our communities in this way. And I don't think there's been like the dots connected yet to see that the people who are most marginalized in this country have created systems to protect themselves, but that protects everybody. That's right. That's right. And I think, you know, coming up, like I wasn't like, oh, I'm going to be an organizer. Right. It's just like, there's a need in the community, people get together and they figure it out. Right. Right. And so, where I think about, like the core of all of it is relationship building, right, and building trust. And you don't need a strategic plan to like figure it out. Right. It's just, you know, what skills do folks have? What's your role in community? You step into the middle when you're needed, you step back out, somebody else steps in, right. And like, you just meet needs. And you know what I'm also thinking about, about the strong indigenous presence, as well as the urban native presence, is that Minneapolis is a particularly progressive state. And, you know, I don't know how visible it is, how that connects to how the indigenous organizing legacy connects to the democracy and the democratic policy in the state. I don't know if this is like a thing that is talked about and celebrated or, you know, and I'm just putting the pieces together now. But can you speak to Minnesota's particularly progressive policy? There's this, I think the unofficial slogan for Minnesota, which comes from Senator Paul Wallstone, which is his famous quote, we all do better when we all do better. I really believe that is at the core of who we are as Minnesotans, even regardless of political party. I think if, you know, you see that your neighbor is in need, you step up and you figure it out, right. I can't tell you how many times we'll come home and the sidewalk's been shoveled because like one of our neighbors is just like, oh, I'll go over and do that, right. You know, or just yeah, how people, not in New York. That is not true in New York. You know, it's a lot of like, oh, you know, hey, I'm out here anyway, might as well, you know, and that's just that's just part of it. Are you moving to the community and someone will bring you like bars or hot dish, hot dishes, a casserole, but we call it hot dish in Minnesota. You know, so much of that I think is foundational to who we are. And I would also say the way that we've been a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees. And that is part of our identity. So in 2023, after the 2022 elections, we had a trifecta of a democratically controlled House, Senate and Governor's office. And so I think it was pretty clear that this was the opportunity to deliver on a lot of the things that we told Minnesotans we were going to do. So, you know, breakfast and lunch for all kids in school, a nation leading child's tax credit, passed the Minnesota Pro Act, which, you know, guaranteed access to abortion care for folks who needed it. It's historic investments in childcare and housing and education. All of those things, you know, I think we're truly about the fact that so many of us have been organizing in partnership together for a long time, because we had a try to trifecta the decade previous. And during that time, I co-chair the campaign to raise the minimum wage in our state and index it to inflation, which was still amazing. Yeah, thanks. It remains one of the most important things I've ever done in my life. Wow. And at that time, folks were like, oh gosh, I don't know, you're asking for too much, right? Because like, can't we just like increase it to 850? And then, you know, we'll figure it out. And in the coalition, we're like, absolutely not. Because we know that the cost of living is going to keep going up. And you want us to come back here in two years or four years or eight years? Like, why can't we just have families catch up and keep up? So we did and we fought really hard. So now every January, since that time, we've had an increase in the minimum wage in Minnesota, which has been wonderful. That's amazing. And if we hadn't done that, right, like it would still be 850, because people wouldn't be willing to fight that fight again. So so many of us who were advocates during that time, a decade later, were decision makers or leading, you know, organizations. So when we had the ability to and had the right butts in the seats, we decided to run as hard and as fast as we could. Because that's what people asked us to do. So we might as well deliver on the things we told people we were going to do. Yeah, that's amazing. What had it been and what did you make it to? What is it now? So now it's over $11. At the time, I think it was, you know, $7 and something. I mean, they haven't increased the federal minimum wage. And over 16 years, it's still $7.25, which is outrageous. And inflation is, I mean, it's exactly. It's fully impossible. That's exactly right. So I mean, those are, I think, you know, have a little bit more Minnesota and Washington. We probably do better. But that, again, we've got faith communities, labor organizations, nonprofits, elected leaders, folks who are, we have a strong inside outside game, I think. What do you mean? And so what does that mean? Relationships with people who are serving in office, who come from moving to work. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And so that, I think, again, is just being able to stay in coalition, build that power to get things done. And now like, those same groups are the ones who are activated right now, who are pushing back against, you know, these federal agents that are that are in our state, like all of it is related and having a strong, you know, infrastructure, organizing infrastructure that's been invested in over years and years and years. That's one of the reasons why Minnesota is able to respond the way that we are right now. Right. You've been organizing as a community. It really like the picture you're painting, it really feels like the state is particularly engaged. And this is also your Democratic Party in Minnesota is called the Democratic Farmers Labor Union Party. It's the Democratic Farmer Labor Party. So like you have a particularly like workers focused state government. Yeah, for doing it right. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, we are uniquely, we are uniquely called that in this country. It was, you know, the formation of several parties coming together to form the DFL. Wow. Yeah. So you're a Lieutenant Governor now, and you've been since 2019, and you are now running for US Senate. Yeah. What do you think as somebody who's been Lieutenant Governor for six years of their state can bring to a first time Senate seat that most senators can't? Well, I would say, you know, the thing that I'm bringing is the entirety of my experience being Lieutenant Governor has been absolutely incredible. And the policy wins that we've had have been tremendous, in particular around paid family and medical leave, you know, school lunches for kids, you know, all those things have been really important. But for me, like my occupation might change, but my vocation is always the same. And that's to make sure that people are seen, heard, valued, protected, and believed. So if that's as the Executive Director Children's Defense Fund, if that's serving in the legislature, if that's being, you know, a school board member or my kiddo's mom, you know, I'm bringing all of that right into this space. And I'd also say, you know, as a kid who grew up on the margins, we don't have enough people who are serving in the Senate who have any idea what it's like to stretch 20 bucks to last the rest of the month. I think if we did, right, like, we wouldn't, we want to pass this big ugly bill, because people would know better, so they'd do better. And, you know, that's, you know, that's what I'm trying to do. I want to make sure that people can afford the lives they want to live. And so that's increasing the minimum wage at the federal level to at least $17 and indexing it to inflation, Medicare for all, universal child care, all these things that people have been, you know, telling us that they need for a really long time. And I think one of the reasons we find ourselves here in this situation with, you know, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress who seem to be driven only by, you know, cruelty and greed, is that Democrats have been nibbling around the edges for far too long or like fighting from a defensive crouch or saying like, hmm, what fight do we think we can win? Instead of what do people actually need us to fight for? Yeah, you know, in that Wellstone quote, right, we all do better when we all do better, as it's a, it is a good one. But my favorite quote from Senator Wellstone is sometimes you got to pick a fight to win one. And like, it is time for us to pick some fights. I don't, you know, I have made the commitment to not take a dime of corporate PAC money, because that is also why we are in this situation we are in, because billionaires and corporations, they have a lot of representation in Washington. It's like regular folks who need it. And, you know, it means I got to hustle a little bit more, but it also means that I can sleep at night and maintain my own integrity. Yeah, right. You know, it's the little things. Truly. And also like you can see in these people's faces that they're going insane, because they know they're like in three different places and not even one person, you know, like really being able to sleep at night is what helps you wake up and look your constituents in the eye and look Americans in the eye and dream better for this country. So you don't take a dime of corporate PAC money. And, you know, as you're painting this picture of, you know, billionaires and government, it's on both sides of the aisle. It's almost been like a PR campaign, the Democrats, where it's like this sort of neoliberal or white liberal banner with nothing of the policy backing it up. And the idea of like people want progressive fighters now. And I feel like the general public is able to spot a corporate institutional Democrat from a progressive fighter. It's pretty easy. It's people, it's people who don't take corporate PAC money and who are talking about kitchen table issues that we all can relate to the price of groceries, the price of electrical bills. When did you like how do you feel as such a high level Democratic politician within the system that institutionalized corporate Democratic system like how does that feel? And how do you think it's going to feel even when you win your Senate seat? Well, super frustrating, I think as someone who has been organizing my entire career to watch this creep within my own party is something. And I think, you know, I am, I've got a primary in Minnesota. And so I think the choice that is facing Minnesotans is the same choice that is facing the Democratic party overall, which is again, the choice between institutional corporate Democrats, right, or a progressive fighter. I'm really clear that, you know, as you said, people want fighters. And it is this idea that somehow politicians are just like licking their finger and, you know, figuring out which way the wind is blowing instead of being like really clear, what do you actually stand for? And who are you in relationship with? Because that piece, you know, we've done over 150 events all across the state of Minnesota, which is like the best part of my job is my daughter says she's like my mom's job is to go on field trips and help people, which I think is pretty accurate, right, if I'm doing it right. And so you have to be in relationship with people in order to represent them. And I think the way that we campaign is also an example of how we're going to govern. So that also matters. I want to be beholden to Minnesotans and to not, you know, not to these big corporations. And we should do everything we can to say that these seats shouldn't go to the highest bidder. Because I think the best way to get rid of Citizens United and to end Citizens United is to demonstrate that you can be progressive champion, and you can reject corporate PAC money and still win. And I think the only way that we could do that is by actually doing it. You can't just say like, Oh, you know, this is just the way things are. That's how I got to run, which is I think, you know, what my opponent would say. We deserve better. And like, you got to be a good organizer, you got to do this work on the ground. And so far, right, we're really seeing the benefits of that with how people are showing up and want to be part of our team. It's, it's exciting. And I'm humbled by it. But we also need leaders who need to be really clear. This campaign isn't just about 2026. It's about what kind of infrastructure, right, are we then building for 2028 and 2030 and 2032, which we don't think enough about as Democrats. I think we do as progressives, but I don't think we think that's right. Democrats, you know, I really feel like Democrats for a long time, you know, I didn't see it until I started getting into this work, and it's become increasingly clear that they too are doing insider trading. They're not worried about the infrastructure for for income, you know, families income, hourly wage, they're not worried about groceries. So many people in the system have been invested in their personal profit. And it just like it's almost like turning the lights on when you hear people like you talking about these just graspable day to day things we need to live. And human rights, affordability is human rights. It's the ability to afford your basic needs. You know, beyond that, again, I don't know these people who are so greedy, it's that that they're massively violent. It's like you would profit anyway, right, you'd be the rich people anyway. When you say like, I don't know how to explain this to my daughter, like, that's because we don't wait, I don't understand this, we adults don't understand this twisted psychotic level of greed, this violent level of greed. It's crazy. I mean, an ice, right, like now watching the federal government try to buy up all these warehouses all across the country, right, to detain more immigrants, right, like, what is that about? That's about money. It's about the bottom line, right, it's about somebody benefiting from it being this way. And that is again, right, the through line, the violence in our communities, the execution of two Minnesotans, the absolute trauma that our children are experiencing, right, the fact that kids are now going to have an A score, an adverse childhood experience score, because federal agents are in our state, all of that has to do with money and with greed. And we have to name that as well, right? It is technocrats who are directly profiting from ice companies, private prisons, and the data. That's, that's what it is. It is so important to name that that is what this is all about. And it is so uncreative. There's plenty of ways to go out and make money and go be in finance. There's plenty of like uncreative stupid ways to go out and make money too. It's, it's shocking. It's shocking. I have to say, like, I really, you know, the, the picture of you in my mind as a kid and with food stamps and the literal cheese when you said held it like a football that is so cute, you know, like all of these reasons, all of these versions of you are here running for Senate, one of the already highest ranking Native American women in political history, running for Senate, it's like, you're really made for this moment and being called upon. And I want to talk about quickly your endorsements. Tina Smith, who is leaving her Senate seat, endorsed you. She did. And I am so honored to have her endorsements. I have been friends with Tina for a very long time and looked up to her, you know, she made that at least kind of governor to Senate, you know, pass life herself, right. But she's just been incredible. And so I hope to be able to continue to be a progressive fighter and to, you know, walk in her, her footsteps as well. Who else has endorsed you? We have endorsements from a group of senators calling themselves a fight club and the number one rule of fight clubs not to talk about it, but, you know, whatever, we're going to talk about it. Senators Murphy, Merkley, Van Hollen, Heinrich, Warren, and Sanders. And so like these are folks that I admire who are on the front lines of pushing back against the, you know, Democratic Party establishments who are like, we want her on our team, which is pretty great. National Nurses United, SCIU, what's that? Service Employees International Union, have endorsed us, United Farm and Commercial Workers, UFCW have endorsed us, Indivisible just endorsed us, which is super exciting. Incredible. And so all these, all these folks who are doing the work. Yep. And for my little, my little 80s kid heart, Jane Fonda, just Jane Fonda pack just endorsed us. And so I think I got more text messages from friends who were like, Jane Fonda endorsed you. I'm in. Hell yeah. I'm not so sure I'm your childhood friend. I'm not so sure of it. Okay, so I'm working with a group of ladies, moms and not moms, around a campaign called moms and neighbors for safe and fair US midterm elections. 2026. It's a temporary campaign just for this year, because when I look at what's happening in Minnesota, ice assaulting the state, executing people, kidnapping children, and then having their tactics become more manipulative. I'm thinking about the midterms, because we know what would happen if we had safe and fair elections this midterms November. It's a sweep. That's right. So and the call to action is to get moms to volunteer at the polls. But I hear you talking about also being constitutional observers. Can you speak to moms on the ground in Minnesota, being leading organizing? I mean, that's where it's at. I have seen so many moms get activated in a way that I've never experienced before. There's a role and there's work for, for everybody. Moms are trusted messengers. And I think sometimes maybe we're like, Oh, I don't know enough. I don't have all the, you know, you're enough. If people talk about, you know, as a mom, why voting is important to me, why I'm going to turn out, why these are the candidates that I'm going to vote for, that goes a really long way. So moms are really powerful. I mean, all the time, but especially right now, you are such a powerful mom. Oh my gosh, your daughter must be so proud of you. And so are we. Thank you so, so much for talking to me today, but for your leadership, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, we are so grateful for you. And we're going to be watching and following your lead all year. Thank you so much for having me. Wow, I literally like we wrapped cameras. I thanked Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and cried. I just was crying because things are so scary right now. And to see and feel her energy about how ICE is totally traumatizing and terrorizing to the point of murder, Minnesotans. And yet she's here organizing and actually is running for Senate. Like we could have her in Senate next year, a Senator who doesn't take corporate PAC money. By the way, she she appropriately judged the energy. It was not the time for her to say this, but I'm going to say it. Her opponent, who I don't even need to name, voted for the Lake and Riley Act, which strips immigrants of their due process, including children, voted to praise ICE in June and is standing by it. And not only takes corporate PAC money, one of those corporate PACs is APAC. Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and she's running for US Senate and doesn't take a dime corporate PAC money. That's a progressive fighter. That is not an institutionalized corporate dam. Oh, and we are just lucky. We are so fortunate Americans right now to have her in this race and her experience on the ground with the urban native community and her tribe to have all that experience. That was really, man, that gave me some hope. We had so much more to cover, but her time was tight. But she and I on our pre-interview call, I just wanted to mention this like thing. She was saying the parallels of having ICE in your state between having ICE in your state and their terror with surviving domestic abuse. We were just talking about those parallels and the gaslighting that comes with it. And it just, it all makes sense and connecting it to the Epstein files. It's like this, this is America. This is what we are living in right now. But there's a way out. And that way out is through knowing your neighbors like Lieutenant Governor Flanagan said, and starting to just jump in wherever is needed. It doesn't have to be some big thing as like organizing. It's just like, just step the fuck in and we can, we can make our way out. That gave me hope. Oh my goodness. Thank you, Lieutenant Governor. Okay, that's like a fatter outro than I usually do. I want to thank all the people who help me make this show. I want to thank my creative producers, Annika Carlson, David Rookland, Madeline Kim, Glenis Mehar for prepping me here, Kelsey Kiley and Allie Owen. Thank you for the nudge. I even told the Lieutenant Governor, I was like, she nudged me twice. Thank you so much. I am so honored to have gotten to interview her. And that was because of you. Thank you, Allie Owen. I want to thank Raymove Ventura for all the sick graphics and opening musical sting and the graphics. It's just so good. The branding, Tovali Bawitz who edits this show and makes it with us. And he's just brilliant. I want to thank the people who made this episode look and sound so good. Kevin Deming, Lexa Krebs, Nicole Moppen. And thank you to the band, Don Hur for making this outro music. This has been a Starpix production. Don't you forget it. Starpix Beach. Have a good day. Get some good sleep. Drink your water. We're talking about bad bunny. Get moisturized like bad bunny. Oof. Watch that halftime show again. Get horny. The intersection of horniness and wholesomeness is bad bunny's halftime show. Enjoy that. Get off to it, you know, literally or figuratively. Love it. Love ya. God bless.