The following article by Erin Golden and Jessie Van Berkel was posted on the StarTribune website December 14, 2017:
Long known as a “velvet hammer” behind the scenes, she must craft her own public persona as Minnesota’s next senator.
When former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak needed a steady hand to manage the city’s highly scrutinized response to the collapse of the I-35W bridge, he turned to Tina Smith. When Gov. Mark Dayton needed a similarly deft touch in the final push to approve state funding for a new Vikings stadium, he also turned to Smith.
Smith’s prowess at navigating Minnesota’s overlapping political, business and labor interests at the highest level prompted Rybak to dub her “the velvet hammer” for her mix of personal warmth and toughness. After several decades working mostly behind the scenes in DFL politics, Smith as Dayton’s choice for U.S. senator is now stepping in a very public way into the national spotlight. Continue reading “Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage”