Sen. Tina Smith Projected Winner In Minnesota Over Jason Lewis

MINNESOTA — Sen. Tina Smith is projected to win her bid for reelection, the Associated Press reported. As of 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, Smith leads Republican challenger Jason Lewis 1,401,953 votes to 1,208,724 votes.

After she was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Mark Dayton, Smith won in a special election in 2018 over her Republican opponent, Karin Housley, who had the backing of President Donald Trump.

That election only allowed Smith to serve for two years, finishing out the remainder of Franken's term.

• Republican Jason Lewis: 1,208,724 votes
• Democrat Tina Smith: 1,401,953 votes.

Smith vs. Lewis

The two candidates have stark differences when it comes to policies.

Smith bills herself as a moderate progressive who works in bipartisan fashion. Lewis has tied his candidacy to Trump's brand of conservatism.

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"From the moment I joined the Senate, I've made a concerted effort to work with my colleagues across the aisle to get things done," Smith told Patch in a candidate profile.

"Meanwhile, my opponent has been openly hostile to bipartisanship for decades. During his broadcasting career, he told his listeners that Democrats needed to be "obliterate[d]" instead of compromised with, and he even declared 'I happen to like gridlock. I get real nervous when politicians start to compromise.'"

Lewis told Patch that Democrats have failed Minnesotans by allowing "mobs of ANTIFA radicals" that "roam our streets, burning and destroying free of consequence," referencing the street violence that took place following the death of George Floyd.

"We're being pressured to conform into thinking and behaving in a 'politically correct' fashion," Lewis added.

"Senator Smith and I come from very different backgrounds and walks of life. I spent a lot of my early years working for the family business. We owned a machine shop and I spent a lot of time on the road selling automotive aftermarket parts. When my dad retired I took over the family business, later going into broadcasting and enjoying a long and successful career as a radio host discussing public affairs and hearing folks' concerns each and every day. Senator Smith has spent her career as a corporate executive, a former Vice President of Planned Parenthood, and has been a politician for the last 14 years."

Read more: Tina Smith For U.S. Senate vs. Jason Lewis For U.S. Senate