Tina Smith is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota, having served in the Senate since 2018 after being appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to fill the seat vacated by Al Franken. A member of the Democratic Party, she was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1958 and earned degrees from Stanford University and Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. Before her Senate appointment, she served as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota under Governor Dayton, and before that as his chief of staff. She also had a career in business and previously served as vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, the Dakotas, and South Dakota.
Smith serves on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee — where she has been a leading voice on food security, rural economic development, and support for family farmers — and on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. She has focused on mental health policy, affordable housing, agricultural policy, and expanding access to reproductive healthcare. Her background with Planned Parenthood has made her a consistent Senate advocate for reproductive rights and family planning services.