Sen. Tina Smith will not seek reelection to the United States Senate in 2026.
In a video posted on social media Thursday morning, Smith announced her decision saying she has loved serving in the U.S. Senate and she is ready to spend more time with her family after many years of working in the public sector.
I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026.
This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country.
Thank you so much, Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/3sWVib8nKJ
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) February 13, 2025
Smith said that she will use the remaining two years of her six-year Senate term “working as hard as I can to represent your interests in the United States Senate and make sure that your voices are heard. And also, since I don’t have to worry about running a reelection campaign, I can focus entirely on this job right now.”
In her video message, the Minnesota senator said “we have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota; a group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry us forward. And I am excited to make room for them to move forward.”
Prior to her service in the Senate, Smith worked as an aide to various DFL politicians in Minnesota, including serving as Gov. Mark Dayton’s chief of staff. In 2014, she was selected by then-Gov. Mark Dayton to be his running mate in that year’s gubernatorial election, an election Dayton won.
After serving as lieutenant governor for several years, Smith became one of Minnesota’s two U.S. senators in January of 2018 when Dayton appointed her to fill the Senate seat that was left vacant following the resignation of Al Franken.
Smith subsequently won a special election in November of 2018 to serve the remaining two years of Franken’s six-year term. In 2020, Smith was elected to a full six-year term when she defeated Republican Jason Lewis by roughly 5 points.
Smith’s decision not to seek reelection will undoubtedly shake up Minnesota’s political scene. In particular, Smith’s announcement will likely result in many DFLers announcing their candidacies for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Smith.
Following Smith’s announcement, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan said she intends to run for the U.S. Senate.
“I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for U.S. Senate and continue to serve the people of this state,” the lieutenant governor said in a social media post. “I’ll make a formal announcement later this month. In the meantime, I’m talking with community and family and friends. I will have more to say soon.”
Given Smith’s announcement, the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Minnesota will be the first U.S. Senate election in Minnesota since 2006 that does not feature an incumbent senator. With no incumbent running, the upcoming election may develop into a close race between the DFL and the GOP.
Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate election in Minnesota since Norm Coleman defeated Walter Mondale in 2002.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
