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Political Note #228 Tina Smith MN US Senate
2020 General Election
You can’t talk about Tina Smith https://tinaforminnesota.com/ without talking about Al Franken. Tina Smith was Minnesota’s Lt. Governor when Al Franken resigned from the Senate. The Governor appointed her to replace Franken.
Al Franken’s resignation has become a discussion topic again. He regrets his resignation. Admirers regret his resignation. Others don’t regret his resignation all. He has shown no remorse, they say. Without remorse, he doesn’t belong in politics.
Remorse for? Acts that did not happen. Acts that were more sexual than Joe Biden’s hair sniffs. Hugs, maybe kisses. More sexual because Al Franken’s hugs were what? Awkward? Not sex, though. No one is suggesting that he demanded actual sexual favors from anyone. He’s not in a league with some former Members of Congress. Not like Nevada Democrat Ruben Kihuen who made repeated sexual advances to a 25 year old staffer. Not like Arizona Republican Trent Franks who offered a staffer $5 million to have a child with him.
Politicians dominate. Part of the work is to dominate. Not much sexual in Al Franken’s dominating behavior. Sexual humor, maybe. Behavior that evokes his comedic history. He is confused about remorse. His apologies do not seem remorseful because the behavior was as authentic as the comedy. Joe Biden’s apology seems inauthentic, out of touch. His behavior was authentic to his history. Nothing sexual there, either. Just Joe Biden’s dominating behavior.
Here’s a personal experience. When I moderated a debate between my Congresswoman and a challenger, she repeatedly put her hand on my arm. She was attempting to control the conversation. Dominance. That is what politicians do.
Like it or not, Al Franken is gone. Tina Smith is here. She is the Democratic (DFL) candidate for reelection in Minnesota. She needs our support. Should we worry about her? I worry. My worry has been moderated by the special election she won. The special election was the only election she won on her own. She was elected Lt. Governor on a ticket with the Governor. Her political experience had been behind the scenes.
Tina Smith is not a phenom. She came to Minnesota in 1984 to take a marketing job with General Mills. Soon enough, she was marketing politicians. She was great at earning their trust. Not as great at electing them. She managed Ted Mondale’s campaign for governor in 1998. He lost. When Paul Wellstone died, she managed Ted’s father’s campaign. Ex Vice President Walter Mondale’s campaigned to replace Wellstone in the Senate. He lost. She went to the non-profit sector. Was VP for external affairs for Planned Parenthood, of Minnesota and North and South Dakota.
Tina Smith is bright, good to work with. Politicians trust her. She was invited back. Become Minneapolis Mayor RT Ryback’s Chief of Staff. She managed his 2010 campaign to become governor. He lost. At the DFL convention. She moved quickly to Mark Dayton. He had skipped the caucuses and the convention to go straight to the primary. He won the primary. Won the election. Became Governor. Next election, Dayton picked Tina Smith as Lt. Governor. She is bright. Good to work with. Mark Dayton and others trust her.
Can Tina Smith dominate the way an elected politician must? She had to win an election in 2018 to complete Al Franken’s term of office. She won the primary. She defeated a former Republican, a former White House ethics attorney under GW Bush. She got 76% of the vote in the Democratic primary. She won the election, too. She defeated State Senator Karen Housley. Married to a former Buffalo Sabres hockey player, she had wanted to be Tina Smith’s opposite in the 2014 election. She ran for Lt. Governor, but she and her gubernatorial running mate lost in the Republican primary.
Tina Smith defeated Housley 53% to 42%. Was Housley a pushover? While her husband was playing ice hockey, she got a BA from SUNY Buffalo, got jobs as a news producer, and wrote a book. The book, intended to help women invest, was titled “Chicks Laying Nest Eggs: How 10 Skirts Beat the Pants Off Wall Street ….. And You Can Too!” Judge for yourself how formidable a candidate she was.
The 2020 Republican may or may not be a stronger than Housely. The only declared candidate is Rob Barrett, Jr., creator of a You Tube show – “Cooking for Dads.” Other, more conventional politicians are considering the race.
Tina Smith is a solidly liberal Democratic Senator. She is pro-choice, in favor of action against climate change, for progressive criminal justice reform, opposed to e-cigarettes, in favor of gun safety efforts, in favor of financial support for Central American countries to reduce emigration to the US, and in favor of a single payer health care system. The more money she raises, the more she can be sufficiently dominant to scare serious opponents away from running.
At the end of the 2nd quarter of 2019, Tina Smith had raised $2.7 million, had a little more than $2 million available. She needs more. The most comparable race is the one in Michigan. Gary Peters, the incumbent Democratic Senator has raised more than $6.5 million and has $4.75 million cash on hand.
Join me. Worry with me about Tina Smith https://tinaforminnesota.com/. Help her. Contribute to her campaign. She needs to dominate the field.
US Senators who can defend their seats if they get enough help.
Doug Jones Alabama
Gary Peters Michigan
Jeanne Shaheen New Hampshire
Tina Smith Minnesota
Democratic Candidates who will flip Republican seats if they get enough help and have a little luck (More to come)
Jaime Harrison South Carolina
Mark Kelly Arizona
