Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith won’t seek reelection in 2026

By David Wright, CNN

(CNN) — Minnesota’s Democratic Sen. Tina Smith announced Thursday that she will not seek reelection in 2026, a decision that could spark a competitive Democratic primary as the party faces a challenging Senate map next year.

“I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026,” Smith wrote on social media, sharing a video with her announcement. “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.”

Smith’s exit opens up a Senate seat in a state that has shown signs of erosion for Democrats, despite Minnesota’s long history of voting blue — former President Joe Biden won the state by 7 points in 2020, while former Vice President Kamala Harris won by 4 points in 2024. Smith won her race in 2020 by about 5 points.

And it follows the exit of another Midwestern Democrat, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who announced last month that he also was not seeking reelection in 2026.

The prospect of defending two open seats in 2026, where Democrats had previously expected the advantage of incumbency, could strain the party’s campaign budget, threatening efforts to expand its current 47-seat minority. And both races are occurring in states that moved toward Republicans in 2024.

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Smith in a statement and projected confidence the party will retain the seat.

“While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue,” Schumer said.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson David Bergstein similarly vowed Democrats would hold the seat, saying, “No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”

Meanwhile, Smith’s decision has set off a scramble to contend for her seat, similar to the process playing out in Michigan following Peters’ announcement. Nearly an hour after Smith’s announcement, the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, announced her intention to launch a campaign for Senate.

“I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month. In the meantime, I’m talking with community and my family and friends. I will have more to say soon,” Flanagan wrote on social media.

In addition, Minnesota’s current Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who rose to national prominence as Harris’ running mate, is still eligible to run for a third term in 2026. But Walz hasn’t ruled out a Senate run, a person familiar with his thinking told CNN on Thursday morning, though he is also looking at a possible run for a third term in his current job next year. It’s also possible, the person told CNN, that the 2024 vice presidential nominee will opt not to run for anything at all.

And with a deep Democratic bench in Minnesota, there’s a range of other prominent contenders, including several US House members. A spokesperson for Rep. Ilhan Omar, a progressive member of “The Squad” hailing from the 5th District, said the congresswoman “will be talking with Minnesotans about (the) future of the senate seat and the DFL party in Minnesota.” And 2nd District Rep. Angie Craig is also weighing a bid.

The list also includes state Attorney General Keith Ellison, who previously represented the 5th District and Democratic National Committee deputy chair; as well as former 3rd District representative Dean Phillips, who mounted a quixotic 2024 primary challenge against former President Joe Biden before his decision to drop out.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday after her announcement, Smith said she had no preference on the growing field of potential successors. “Absolutely not — this is a moment for the deep bench of leadership in Minnesota, lots of great talent. And you know that’s for Minnesotans and those leaders to figure out,” she said.

Her decision not to run in 2026 was “purely personal” and “had nothing to do with the politics of the moment,” she said.

“You know, this was a purely personal decision. I really was weighing like what I want to do for the next 10 years of my life and how I want to spend my time. And with that frame, it was — it had nothing to do with the politics of the moment. And so in that sense, once I was really clear on … how I wanted to approach the next 10 years, it wasn’t a hard decision,” Smith said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Edward Isaac Dovere and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

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