Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith appointed to Franken's Senate seat

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, a Democrat, will fill the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Al Franken, who announced his resignation last week amid sexual misconduct allegations.

The state's governor, Mark Dayton, also a Democrat, said in a statement he’d appointed Smith to serve a one-year term in the Senate, ending in January 2019, in accordance with state law. A special election will be held on Nov. 6, 2018, with the winner serving out the remainder of Franken’s term, which runs through January 2021.

At a news conference later Wednesday morning, Smith said she would run for the seat in the November 2018 special election.

In his announcement, Dayton praised Smith as a “person of the highest integrity and ability.”

“There is no one I trust more to assume the responsibilities of this important office," the governor said. "I know that she will be a superb senator, representing the best interests of our state and our citizens."

• Add to Google

Minnesota Lt. Governor named to fill Al Franken's Senate seat

01:01

Smith, in a statement, said she was “resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward" and would "be a fierce advocate in the United States Senate for economic opportunity and fairness for all Minnesotans."

Franken, in a statement, praised Smith as "a dedicated public servant who’s worked tirelessly on behalf of Minnesotans" and who "will make an excellent United States senator."

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Smith, 59, was elected lieutenant governor in 2014. She previously served as Dayton’s chief of staff, and was the chief of staff for the mayor of Minneapolis and the vice president of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Smith will resign as lieutenant governor and be sworn into the Senate after Franken formally steps down. Last week, Franken, facing a string of sexual misconduct allegations and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, announced he would be resigning “in the coming” weeks, but has not yet disclosed exactly when.

• Add to Google

Al Franken announces he'll resign from the Senate

02:45

With an election for the seat in just over 11 months, speculation among Gopher State politicos has run rampant over who might jump into the race on both sides.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

On Wednesday morning, shortly after Dayton’s announcement, at least one prominent Minnesota Democrat, Rep. Keith Ellison, said he would sit the race out and support Smith in November.

“Tina Smith is the right person at the right time and has my full support both now and when she runs in the 2018 special election,” Ellison said.