Biography
Tina Smith assumed office as the junior United States senator from Minnesota on Jan. 2, 2018, following the resignation of Senator Al Franken. Previously, Smith served as Minnesota's lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2018. On November 6, 2018, Smith won the special election to complete the remainder of Franken's Senate term, and on November 3, 2020, she won the election for a full term. In February 2025, Smith announced that she will be retiring at the end of her term.
Smith was born in New Mexico on March 4, 1958. She graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She worked in marketing for General Mills and began her own marketing firm prior to entering public service. She also served as Planned Parenthood's vice president for external affairs in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Smith worked for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak as his chief of staff, and as senior advisor and transition co-chair for Mark Dayton's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Dayton appointed Smith as chief of staff when he took office in 2011. She was his running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial election.
For information on Smith's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.
Source: Ballotpedia (n.d.). "Tina Smith" Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 24, 2022. https://ballotpedia.org/Tina_Smith.
Speeches
- Hamline University Commencement Address – May 17, 2025
- Announcement of Not Seeking Re-election to the U.S. Senate – Feb. 13, 2025
- Response to Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Leak - May 3, 2022
- Victory Speech - November 6, 2018
- Senate Acceptance Speech - December 13, 2017
- Inaugural Remarks - Jan. 5, 2015