Franken replaced by ‘the velvet hammer’
Tina Smith, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, appointed to Senate
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The campaign started immediately.
Five minutes after being named as Al Franken’s temporary replacement in the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith of Minnesota said Wednesday that she would run for the job next fall, in an election for the two years left in Franken’s term.
Smith’s appointment keeps a Democrat in Franken’s seat for at least a year, but also cues up a seismic 2018 election that could shift the balance of power in Minnesota and, quite possibly, in the Senate.
Smith, a far less famous politician than Franken, whose resignation came amid accusations of sexual harassment, seemed eager to avoid being seen as a senator foisted upon Minnesotans.
“Anybody who knows the voters of Minnesota knows that they can’t be told what to do,” Smith said at the state capitol after Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, announced that he had appointed her. “My purpose is to go out and ask for those voters’ support, and that is my job to do.”
Next year’s ballot will also include an open race for governor — Dayton is not seeking another term — and an election for Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s position. Klobuchar, a well-known Democrat, is expected to run for another six-year term.
“The opportunity for Minnesota Republicans is actually quite bright,” said Jennifer Carnahan, the chairwoman of Minnesota’s Republican Party.
Several prominent Republicans had already lined up for the governor’s race, and some might now consider challenging Smith for the Senate.
Carnahan criticized Smith as a member of the “very far left” whose appointment “was calculated to appease the Democrats out in Washington.”
Smith, a longtime figure in Democratic politics and a former executive with the regional Planned Parenthood organization, spent most of her career behind the scenes before becoming lieutenant governor in 2015.
Those who have worked with Smith described her as smart and able to work across party lines, but also politically savvy and committed to Democratic issues.
R.T. Rybak, a former Minneapolis mayor for whom Smith served as chief of staff, said he had nicknamed her “the velvet hammer” because she is “tough when she has to be.”
“She is just that rare person who somehow can find a way to crack even the toughest seals people put up,” Rybak said. “But nobody should mistake that for her being a wimp.”
But Smith may still need to introduce herself to regular voters. On the snow-dusted sidewalks of St. Paul, friendly political turf for Smith, some Minnesotans said they knew little or nothing about their soon-to-be senator.
“I wish he would have appointed someone with bigger name recognition in Minnesota, with a better chance of getting re-elected,” said Carrie Lindgren, a Democrat who said she was excited by the Democrats’ Senate win in Alabama the previous night.
Smith praised Franken’s Senate record, calling him “a real champion for this state.” But she also said she saw a necessary shift underway in attitudes relating to sexual harassment.
“I think in some ways, this sea change is being led by young women who tell women of my generation that maybe some of the things we put up with during our lives we shouldn’t have to put up with,” said Smith, 59, who was born in New Mexico but has spent most of her adult life in Minnesota.
Franken released a statement Wednesday saying that Smith “will make an excellent” senator and that he looked “forward to working with her on ensuring a speedy and seamless transition.” He did not provide a resignation date.