Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced Thursday that she will not be seeking re-election.
Smith made her announcement in a post on social media platform X.
“I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the United States Senate in 2026,” she said.
“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,” she wrote.
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
The list of Democrats seeking to replace Smith begins with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who indicated Thursday she will be running for the seat, according to Politico,
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who could run for a third term or try for the Senate seat, was mentioned as a possible candidate.
Democratic Reps. Rep. Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison could also enter the race, as could Attorney General Keith Ellison, Politico speculated.
Ilhan Omar should be deported, not running for Minnesota Senate.
— The American Girl (@TheAmericanGrl) February 13, 2025
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is considering the idea of a campaign, according to the Star-Tribune.
A representative of Omar, who has been serving in Congress since 2018, “will be talking with Minnesotans about the future of the Senate seat and DFL Party in Minnesota.”
Axios reported that Omar “is receiving messages of encouragement,” citing a source it did not name.
Rep. Ilhan Omar is considering running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota in 2026
“I would say that our country ought to be more fearful of White men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country.” pic.twitter.com/trf7B1TGDX
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) February 14, 2025
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who leads the GOP’s Senate campaign arm, said just because Democrats have ruled the roost in the past does not mean the seat is safely Democratic, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Minnesota is in play, and we play to win,” he said. “Minnesotans deserve a senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity, and safer communities.”
As noted by Fox News, Smith is the second Senate Democrat up for re-election in 2026 who has decided not to run.
Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced he is not running.
The 2024 Senate elections saw Republicans flip four seats to earn their current 53-47 majority. Fox predicted that in 2026, Republicans will focus on unseating Democratic Sens. Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire.
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