If Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz officially steps down later this year to accept the position of U.S. vice president, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become the first Native woman to govern a state. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and became the highest ranking Native American statewide official in the country when she was elected to office in 2018. She has helped shape Walz's administration as one focused on improving tribal sovereignty and autonomy across Minnesota. She is one of several Indigenous women who have taken seats of power in the U.S. over the past decade, and many in Indian Country see her rise to power as an opportunity for increased Indigenous rights and visibility.
