Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith ruled out a run for reelection in 2026 on Thursday, opening up a key Democratic seat during an election cycle in which the party is desperately hoping to make up lost ground.
Smith (D-Minn.), 66, underscored that her “decision is not political, it is entirely personal” and that she intends to retire in early 2027 to spend more time with her family.
“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,” she wrote on X.
“Thank you so much, Minnesota.”
The first-term senator was appointed to succeed former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in 2017 after the comedian resigned from the Senate due to a sexual misconduct scandal.
Photos had emerged of Franken pretending to grope model-turned-radio host Leeann Tweeden in 2006 while she was asleep.
Tweeden had alleged in a blog post that the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian forcibly kissed her during a rehearsal for a skit on a USO tour in the Middle East, leaving her feeling “disgusted and violated.”
The scandal emerged in the midst of the MeToo movement and a national reckoning on sexual misconduct and mistreatment of women.
Prior to her stint in the Senate, Smith served as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota. She also previously worked as the vice president of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota.
In a video message, Smith explained that she wants to tend to her father, who will turn 95 over the summer, and that both her children and grandchildren moved to Minneapolis.
“I plan to use every single day working as hard as I can to represent your interests in the United States Senate and make sure that your voices are heard,” she pledged, contending that not having to worry about reelection will free her up to focus on her Senate duties.
Her retirement follows that of Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who announced his decision last month, sparking a scramble in Michigan to succeed him.
Unlike the Michigan seat, Minnesota is generally not considered competitive with the last Republican to win the seat being former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in 2002.
President Trump had done several events in Minnesota during the 2024 election cycle, but lost by a little over four points.
Still, Smith now leaves Democrats with a second open Class 2 Senate seat in the 2026 elections.
Unlike the 2024 cycle, Republicans find themselves in more of a defensive position, forced to defend 24 of the 35 seats up for grabs.
They have at least two incumbents who are expected to face tough reelection battles — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Democrats have to defend incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), in a state that generally leans Republican.
