MN Sen. Smith Won’t Run For Re-election

Minnesota US Senator Tina Smith announced Thursday that she won’t run for re-election in 2026.  Smith says she wants to spend more time with her grandchildren and 95-year-old father. Smith, a Democrat, is a former Minnesota Lieutenant Governor who was appointed to the Senate in 2018 after Al Franken resigned from the Senate.  She was elected to keep that Senate seat in 2020.  

In the wake of Smith’s announcement, Minnesota’s current Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan, says she wants to run to succeed Smith in the Senate.  Flanagan, a Democrat, said on social media she will make a formal announcement later this month.