Tag: Tina Smith

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith makes Washington debut

The following article by Maya Rao was posted on the StarTribune website January 4, 2018:

A full day of ceremony gives way to upcoming political clashes

Holding hands with her husband Archie, U.S. Senator Tina Smith walked toward the U.S. Capitol building in the morning sun for her swearing in ceremony. Credit: Glen Stubbe
Holding hands with her husband Archie, U.S. Senator Tina Smith walked toward the U.S. Capitol building in the morning sun for her swearing in ceremony.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tina Smith was sworn into office Wednesday, capping a stormy period of upheaval in Minnesota politics as this former behind-the-scenes player stepped into the glare of the national spotlight.

“What I intend to do is be just a really fierce advocate for Minnesotans here in Washington, D.C.,” Smith said in an interview a few hours before she formally replaced former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Minnesotans, she added, want leaders who get things done and not just talk, “and that’s the energy I’m going to bring.”

Franken stepped down a day earlier following a series of sexual harassment allegations. Smith, who served three years as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor following a career as an influential DFL strategist, was Gov. Mark Dayton’s choice to replace him. Continue reading “U.S. Sen. Tina Smith makes Washington debut”

Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage

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.

Gov. Mark Dayton introduced his new Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, his former chief of staff, during a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4. at the AFL-CIO offices in St. Paul, MN.

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”

How tackling climate change will pay off

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Much of Minnesota has experienced springlike temperatures this December, often in the 40s. Warmer weather has become the norm; since 1998, the Earth has experienced 10 of the warmest years on record. And 2015 is expected to break last year’s record as the warmest yet.

This is why we all should be celebrating that nearly 200 countries have reached consensus on a plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The Paris Climate Agreement puts the world on a path Continue reading “How tackling climate change will pay off”