Tina Smith

Democrat junior Senator of Minnesota

  • Senator

    Minnesota

    January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2027

202-224-5641

@SenTinaSmith

smith.senate.gov

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5

Congresses Served

3

Senate Terms

January 1, 1958 (66 years old)

Birthday

  • Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up mostly in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  • Worked on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline before attending college.
  • Holds a degree in political science from Stanford University and an MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
  • Moved to Minnesota in the 1980s for a marketing job at General Mills and later started her own marketing firm.
  • Became involved in local politics in the early 1990s, volunteering for DFL campaigns in Minneapolis.
  • Managed Walter Mondale’s 2002 U.S. Senate campaign and served as vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
  • Served as chief of staff to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and later to Governor Mark Dayton.
  • Selected by Dayton as his running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial election and served as Minnesota’s 48th lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2018.
  • Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2018 to fill the seat vacated by Al Franken’s resignation, won a special election in 2018, and was elected to a full term in 2020.
  • Described as having a high-profile role in legislative negotiations during her tenure as lieutenant governor.
  • Named to “America’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in State Politics” by Roll Call in 2016.
  • Has served on several Senate committees, including Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Indian Affairs.
  • Supports abortion rights and has a history of advocating for women’s health services.
  • Voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, citing concerns over physician judgment and criminal penalties.
  • Advocated for climate change action, digital asset regulation, drug policy reform, foreign policy that supports national security and economic prosperity, gun control, healthcare reform, housing and infrastructure development, immigration reform, and LGBTQ rights.
  • Introduced legislation aimed at legalizing cannabis at the federal level.
  • Urged for action on railroad safety through the Safe Freight Act.
  • Married to Archie Smith, an independent investor, and they have two sons.
  • Has publicly shared her experiences with depression to raise awareness.