Tina Smith, Minnesota's New Senator Replacing Franken: 5 Things

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Wednesday announced at a press conference that he will appoint Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to serve as United States Senator for Minnesota. Smith will be appointed to serve a one-year term in the Senate, concluding in January 2019. Minnesotans will choose a U.S. Senator to serve the remainder of the term being vacated by Sen. Al Franken in a special election to be held on Nov. 6, 2018.

"Tina Smith is a person of the highest integrity and ability," Dayton said in a statement. "There is no one I trust more to assume the responsibilities of this important office. I know that she will be a superb Senator, representing the best interests of our state and our citizens."

Smith will resign as Lt. Gov. prior to being sworn into the Senate.

“I accept this appointment, and it will be my great honor to serve Minnesota as United States Senator,” said Smith. “Though I never anticipated this moment, I am resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward. I will be a fierce advocate in the United States Senate for economic opportunity and fairness for all Minnesotans.”

When asked how she will differ from Franken in the Senate, Smith told the press, "I respect his work, but I will take on this role in my own way."

She ended the press conference stating, "If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t be underestimated."

After the announcement, Franken released the following statement on the appointment of Smith:

Tina Smith will make an excellent United States Senator. She is a dedicated public servant who’s worked tirelessly on behalf of Minnesotans, and Governor Dayton couldn't have made a better choice for this job.

Her record of accomplishment as Lieutenant Governor demonstrates that she’ll be an effective senator who knows how to work across party lines to get things done for Minnesota.

I look forward to working with her on ensuring a speedy and seamless transition.

Here are five things to know about Lt. Gov. Tina Smith:

1. Smith, 59, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Before college, she worked in Prudhoe Bay on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.

2. She moved to Minnesota in 1984 for a marketing position at General Mills and later started her own marketing firm. Smith began work as an executive for Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota in 2003.

3. Before being elected Lt. Governor in 2010, Smith served as Dayton's Chief of Staff, where she assisted in getting legislation passed for a new Vikings stadium. She also oversaw the state's partnership with the Mayo Clinic during the planning phase of the clinic's Rochester expansion.

Prior to her work for the state government, Smith worked as Chief of Staff for Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. After the Interstate 35W Bridge collapse in 2007, she coordinated with Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration and Minnesota's congressional delegation to secure funding for the new I-35W bridge.

Smith was previously expected to make a run for governor herself.

4. Smith began working as a campaign manager in the 1990s, reports MinnPost. She ran former Vice President Walter Mondale’s eleventh hour run for U.S. Senate in 2002 after Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash the month before the election.

5. Smith and her husband Archie have been married for more than 30 years. They have two sons, Sam and Mason, who also live in Minnesota.

Photo credit: Minnesota Democratic candidate for Lt. Gov. Tina Smith appears at a get-out-the-vote rally in support for Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)