Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith Won't Seek Re-Election in 2026
The Democratic primary gained its first candidate hours after the incumbent Senator's retirement announcement.
The first two Senators to announce their retirements during the upcoming 2026 cycle are Democrats in their sixties. The first was Gary Peters of Michigan. And now earlier today, Tina Smith of Michigan announced she wouldn’t run for re-election next year for a second full term in office.
The 2026 Senate cycle will see 35 contested races - 33 regular elections and 2 special elections. Republicans currently hold 22 of these seats while Democrats represent the remaining 13. While Peters and Smith are the first retirements, it’s likely more in the chamber will join them at some point.
Smith has served in the U.S. Senate representing Minnesota since January 2018. She was originally appointed to the position following the resignation of former Senator Al Franken (D) due to allegations of sexual harassment. She subsequently won a special election in 2018 and the regular election in 2020.
Smith first became involved in Minnesota politics in the early 1990s. She managed Ted Mondale’s unsuccessful 1998 campaign for governor and former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale’s unsuccessful 2002 campaign for Senate following Senator Paul Wellstone’s death in a plane crash weeks before the election. From 2003 to 2006, Smith served as Vice President of External Affairs at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
In 2006, Smith returned to politics as Chief of Staff to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. She managed his 2010 campaign for governor - which ended after State House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher won the DFL endorsement at the convention. Nevertheless, she joined the campaign of Mark Dayton, who skipped the convention and won the DFL primary. He went on to win the general election 43.6-43.2 against Republican Tom Emmer, with 11.9% going to Independent Tom Horner. In January 2011, Smith was chosen to serve as Dayton’s Chief of Staff.
In 2014, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon announced she would not run for re-election. Smith was once again chosen by Dayton to fulfill the role on his gubernatorial re-election ticket. The Dayton-Smith ticket prevailed in the general election 50.1-44.5 against Republicans Jeff Johnson and Bill Kuisle. Smith served as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from January 2015 to January 2018.
For the 119th Congress, Smith is a member of the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Finance; and Indian Affairs. Furthermore, she is the Ranking Member on the Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development.
Within hours of Smith’s retirement announcement, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan revealed she plans to run for the seat with a formal campaign launch later this month. Competitive primaries could form for both Democrats and Republicans in this contest. Only a few potential candidates have ruled out campaigns next year - including Emmer, Franken, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter (D), former U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D) and former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R).
In addition to Smith’s Senate seat, Minnesota will also see elections for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Auditor in 2026. Democrats currently hold all of those seats - with none of the statewide executives being term-limited. None of the incumbents have formalized their plans beyond Smith and Flanagan though.
Minnesota has backed the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1960 - with the exception of Richard Nixon’s 1972 landslide re-election. In 2024, Democrat Kamala Harris prevailed 50.9-46.7 against Republican Donald Trump in her unsuccessful national campaign.