Christine Elizabeth "Tina" Flint Smith (born March 4, 1958) is an American politician and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Minnesota since 2018, filling the seat vacated by Al Franken. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the Democratic Party. Smith served as the 48th lieutenant governor of Minnesota from 2015 to 2018, when she was appointed to serve as a U.S. Senator for the state. Smith won the 2018 special election, defeating the Republican nominee, Minnesota State Senator Karin Housley.

Early life and education [ edit ]

Smith was born on March 4, 1958[2] in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the daughter of Christine, a teacher, and F. Harlan Flint, a lawyer.[3] Prior to going to college, she worked on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in political science, and later earned a master's degree in business administration from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.[4]

Early career [ edit ]

Smith first moved to Minnesota in 1984 for a marketing job at General Mills.[5] She later started her own marketing firm, where she consulted with businesses and nonprofits.[6] In the early 1990s, Smith became involved in local politics, volunteering for DFL campaigns in Minneapolis.[7] She managed Ted Mondale's unsuccessful 1998 campaign for governor. After Minnesota's U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash weeks before the 2002 election, Smith managed former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale's campaign for the seat.[8] After Mondale lost a narrow election to Norm Coleman, Smith began working as the vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.[9]

Smith left her job at Planned Parenthood to serve as chief of staff to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak in 2006.[10] In 2010, she was picked to manage Rybak's gubernatorial campaign, which ended after Margaret Anderson Kelliher won the DFL endorsement.[8] Smith then joined the campaign of Mark Dayton, who skipped the endorsing convention and eventually won the DFL primary.[7] After Dayton defeated Republican Tom Emmer in the general election, Smith was named a co-chair of the transition. Dayton appointed Smith as his chief of staff when he took office in 2011.[11]

Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota [ edit ]

2014 election [ edit ]

When Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon announced she would not seek reelection, Governor Mark Dayton selected Smith as his running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Dayton cited Smith's work on passing legislation for new Minnesota Vikings Stadium, as well as her support for the Destination Medical Center project with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.[12]

Smith stepped down as Dayton's chief of staff to campaign for lieutenant governor. After being nominated by acclamation at the DFL state convention, and facing only token opposition in the DFL gubernatorial primary, Dayton and Smith defeated Republicans Jeff Johnson and Bill Kuisle in the general election.[13]

Tenure [ edit ]

Smith in 2016

Smith took office as lieutenant governor on January 5, 2015 and served until she was appointed to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2018.[14] During her tenure, Smith was described by many political observers as having a much higher profile and playing a much more significant role in legislative negotiations than her predecessors.[5][15] She spent a significant amount of time traveling the state in support of the priorities of Dayton's administration, including funding for optional preschool for all four-year-olds, transportation infrastructure, and rural broadband internet access. She also served as chair of the Destination Medical Center board until her resignation in December 2017.[16][17]

In 2016, Roll Call named Smith to their "America's Top 25 Most Influential Women in State Politics" list, citing her high-profile role in the Dayton administration.

Despite widespread speculation to the contrary, Smith announced in March 2017 that she would not run for governor in the 2018 election.[18][19]

U.S. Senate [ edit ]

Dayton appointing Smith to the Senate

Appointment [ edit ]

On December 13, 2017, Governor Dayton announced Smith as his pick to fill the United States Senate seat held by Al Franken, who indicated he would be resigning the seat at a later date amid allegations of sexual misconduct.[20][21] While political observers initially speculated Smith might serve in a caretaker role, she announced her candidacy in the 2018 special election.[22]

Dayton issued the official certificate of appointment following Franken's resignation on January 2, 2018.[23][24]

Tenure [ edit ]

With Vice President Mike Pence issuing the oath of office, Smith was officially sworn in as a United States Senator on January 3, 2018,[25] alongside Doug Jones of Alabama. She was accompanied by fellow Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale.[26]

Committee assignments [ edit ]

Source: Senate Democrats Press Release[27] [2]

2018 election [ edit ]

Smith competed in the 2018 special Senate election in Minnesota. She won the August 14 Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party primary with 76% of the vote. Richard Painter, a White House ethics lawyer during the George W. Bush administration, finished second with 14%.[28][29] Smith defeated Republican nominee Karin Housley, a state senator from St. Marys Point, in the general election on November 6, winning 53% of the vote to Housley's 42%.[30][31]

Political positions [ edit ]

Climate change [ edit ]

In November 2018, Smith was one of 25 Democratic senators to cosponsor a resolution in response to findings of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change report and National Climate Assessment. The resolution affirmed the senators' acceptance of the findings and their support for bold action to address climate change.[32]

Drug policy [ edit ]

In December 2018, Smith was one of 21 senators to sign a letter to Commissioner of Food and Drugs Scott Gottlieb stating their approval of the actions of the Food and Drugs Administration to hinder youth access to e-cigarettes and urging the FDA "to take additional, stronger steps to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among youth."[33]

Gun control [ edit ]

In March 2018, Smith was one of ten senators to sign a letter to Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Lamar Alexander and ranking Democrat Patty Murray requesting they schedule a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[34]

Health care [ edit ]

In the lead-up to the 2018 elections, Smith stated that her record in the Senate shows she will fight pharmaceutical companies to improve people's lives. She said she will continue to fight to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs in Minnesota, for example by making generic drugs more available, preventing citizens with pre-existing conditions from being charged more, and allowing Minnesotans to buy in to Medicare if they are not satisfied with their options on the insurance market.[35]

In December 2018, Smith was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials Alex Azar, Seema Verma, and Steve Mnuchin arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers while weakening protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions." The senators requested the administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress."[36]

In January 2019, during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, Smith was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Commissioner of Food and Drugs Scott Gottlieb recognizing the efforts of the FDA to address the shutdown's effect on public health and employees while remaining alarmed "that the continued shutdown will result in increasingly harmful effects on the agency’s employees and the safety and security of the nation’s food and medical products."[37]

In February 2019, Smith was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to insulin manufactures Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi about their increased insulin prices having deprived patients of "access to the life-saving medications they need."[38]

Immigration [ edit ]

In August 2018, Smith was one of 17 senators to sign a letter spearheaded by Kamala Harris to United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen demanding that the Trump administration take immediate action in attempting to reunite 539 migrant children with their families, citing each passing day of inaction as intensifying "trauma that this administration has needlessly caused for children and their families seeking humanitarian protection."[39]

LGBT issues [ edit ]

In October 2018, Smith was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to reverse the rolling back of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of LGBTQ diplomats who had unions that were not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQ individuals "subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence, and receive little or no protection from the law or local authorities" and that refusing to let LGBTQ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be equivalent of upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world."[40]

See also [ edit ]