ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said Thursday that she won't seek reelection, dealing a blow to her fellow Democrats' hopes of retaking the Senate in 2026.
Smith made the announcement in a video posted to social media, setting off what's sure to be a scramble by potential candidates in both major political parties to fill her open seat.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was quick to issue a statement saying she plans to run. And Gov. Tim Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, is considering it, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity and was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Rep. Ilhan Omar is also considering a run, said her chief of staff, Connor McNutt.
Democrats already faced an uphill battle in trying to regain control of the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority that has enabled them to confirm President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. Smith’s retirement will deprive Democrats of an incumbent as they try to recruit candidates for races in states that will likely be tougher for them to win.
While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, a couple came close in 2022, and the traditionally Democratic state has become increasingly competitive in recent years.
On the Republican side, anti-establishment populist Royce White, who lost to Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, had already said he would challenge Smith in 2026, and he affirmed on Thursday that he's still running in a post on X that included a photo of him with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's now Trump's health secretary. “The People Are Coming and we get the government we deserve,” he tweeted.
Some names also circulating as potential Republican candidates include state Rep. Kristin Robbins, state Sens. Karin Housley and Julia Coleman, former state auditor candidate Ryan Wilson and attorney Chris Madel. Wilson fell just over 8,400 votes short of winning in 2022. Housley lost to Smith in the 2018 general election. Coleman is the daughter-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman. Former congressional candidate Adam Schwarze tweeted in reaction to Smith's annoucement that he looked forward “to sharing some big news soon.”
“There is 100 percent a path for statewide victory,” said Jennifer DeJournett, executive director of the state GOP.
Democratic former U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who unsuccessfully challenged President Joe Biden in their party's primaries last year, already said he wasn't running.
The 66-year-old Smith, who initially was appointed to complete the term of Sen. Al Franken after he resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations, said she wants to spend more time with her family after 20 years of work in the public sector.
“This decision is not political. It is entirely personal,” Smith said. “But it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong, progressive leadership right now, maybe more than ever.”
Smith said she plans to use the two years left in her term working to represent Minnesota's interests in the Senate without having to worry about running for reelection. But she also said there are Democratic leaders who are ready to step up.
“We have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota, a group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry us forward," she said. "And I’m excited to make room for them to move forward.”
Smith was Minnesota's lieutenant governor when Gov. Mark Dayton appointed her to complete Franken's term after he resigned in late 2017. She took office in January 2018 and kept the seat when she faced voters in the general election that November. She went on to win a full six-year term in 2020.
She had previously worked as chief of staff to Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and was an executive with Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Flanagan said she’ll make a formal announcement of her candidacy later this month.
“Senator Smith has paved the way for so many women like me throughout her entire career,” Flanagan said in a statement. “She uses her voice to fiercely defend the people of Minnesota. She’s fought for small businesses, farmers, and those who’ve been overlooked so they can have a fair shot at economic success.”
But Franken indicated he won't run, saying he'll support his party's nominee. Minnesota Democrats, he posted on X, “are lucky to have a deep bench of people who are guided by Paul Wellstone’s words: we all do better when we all do better. I look forward to supporting the candidate we nominate to work on behalf of Minnesotans in Washington.”
Other fellow Democrats also paid tribute to Smith for her long years of service.
“Tina has always done the work to improve people’s lives: lowering the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historic climate legislation, and our party’s champion for reproductive freedom,” Walz wrote online. “Minnesotans will miss having her in the Senate.”
Klobuchar, Minnesota’s senior senator, called Smith a longtime friend.
“Her quiet but effective governing style earned her the title the velvet hammer,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “While Tina and I will continue to work together for the next two years, our friendship and her legacy will last a lifetime.”
And Senate Democrats' leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, said he believes they can keep her seat in Democratic hands.
“Tina Smith has been a remarkable senator — smart, compassionate, and tireless in her commitment to Minnesota and the country," Schumer said in a statement. “While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue.”
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This story has been corrected to show that no Republican, not no Democrat, has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006.
Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
