Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith named to fill Franken seat
ST. PAUL, MINN.» Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith on Wednesday to fill fellow Democrat Al Franken’s U.S. Senate seat until a special election in November, setting up his longtime and trusted adviser for a potentially bruising 2018 special election.
Smith was seen as Dayton’s top choice from the moment Franken announced his resignation last week. But her previous decision not to run for governor had raised questions about her appetite for a closely watched and expensive Senate campaign. Smith said she is fully committed.
“I can tell you I shouldn’t be underestimated.
And if I weren’t confident, I wouldn’t be doing this,” she said.
It’s not clear when Smith will head to Washington. Franken, who resigned under pressure from his own party after he was accused of improper behavior by at least eight women, announced last Thursday that he would resign “in the coming weeks.” His office hasn’t set a final departure date yet; Smith indicated it likely would be in early January.
Smith, 59, served as Dayton’s chief of staff for four years before ascending to become his No. 2 when his previous lieutenant chose not to join him in seeking a second term in 2014. Dayton has long treated Smith as an equal in the office, and it was that deference that fueled speculation she was being groomed to succeed him.
Her path to politics was unconventional. A native of New Mexico, she graduated from Stanford and earned a master’s degree from Dartmouth. A marketing job with General Mills took her to Minnesota, where she eventually started her own marketing and political consulting firm.