Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who is running for the U.S. Senate, appeared on a Somali-language TV station wearing a hijab while visiting a mall as her state continues to face fallout from a major pandemic relief fraud scandal.
"The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota," the Democrat said alongside local officials at the Karmel Mall in Minneapolis.
For many Muslim women, the scarf is worn as a sign of modesty and religious devotion.
Flanagan previously said she is Catholic, and her campaign website states that her "view on immigration is grounded in her Catholic faith."
She is competing against two other Democrats in the 2026 primary race for the seat held by retiring Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. The state's other senator is Amy Klobuchar.
Flanagan has drawn criticism from conservatives over past messaging, including a viral August video in which she wore a shirt reading "Protect Trans Kids" and told parents: "When our children tell us who they are, it's our job as grown-ups to listen and believe them."
House Republican Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., criticized Flanagan's hijab appearance, calling it a "stunt."
"Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig are battling it out in an attempt to win over the far-left radicals in the Twin Cites," Emmer told Fox News Digital.
"Anyone with common sense sees right through this stunt."
The issue comes as the state remains under scrutiny over what the Justice Department has alleged is "staggering, industrial-scale fraud."
In 2022, federal prosecutors in Minnesota began investigating the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which authorities say helped run a sprawling scheme involving fraudulent claims tied to pandemic-era relief programs.
Since the probe began, federal authorities say $250 million in fraudulent claims have been linked to 78 people charged in what prosecutors describe as a $9 billion fraud scheme.
Many of those charged, officials have said, are members of Minnesota's Somali community.
More than 400 Minnesota state employees blamed Gov. Tim Walz for the scandal, saying the former vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party ignored warnings and retaliated against whistleblowers who sought to expose the fraud.
Walz has faced repeated pressure to address the case and acknowledged in a New York Times interview that the programs may have been too generous.
"The programs are set up to move the money to people," Walz said last month.
"The programs are set up to improve people's lives, and in many cases the criminals find the loopholes."
He later announced a new anti-fraud task force as part of a crackdown, telling the Times: "The message here in Minnesota is if you commit a crime, if you commit fraud against public dollars, you are going to go to prison."
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