Another Dem Senator Announces She Won’t Run For Re-Election In 2026

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) announced on Thursday that she won’t run for re-election in 2026, becoming the second Democratic senator this year to declare her intentions to retire when her term ends in 2027.

In a video posted on X, the 66-year-old senator said her decision is “not political” but based on a desire to “spend more time with [her] family.” Smith has served in the Senate since 2018 after she won a special election to replace former Sen. Al Franken, who resigned following sexual misconduct allegations against him. Before her time in the Senate, Smith was Minnesota’s lieutenant governor from 2015 to 2018, and prior to that stint, she worked as an executive at Planned Parenthood of Minnesota.

“This decision is not political,” Smith said. “It is entirely personal, but it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership, right now maybe more than ever.”

“So, there are two things on my mind about this,” she continued. “The first is that I have nearly two full years left in my Senate term, and I plan to use every single day working to represent your interests in the United States Senate. … And also, since I don’t have to worry about running a re-election campaign, I can focus entirely on this job right now.”

I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026.

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.

Thank you so much, Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/3sWVib8nKJ

— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) February 13, 2025

Smith added that Minnesota Democrats have a “deep bench of political talent.” Democrats have held both Minnesota Senate seats since 2009. According to Cook Political Report’s first 2026 Senate forecast, which was released before Smith announced her retirement, Democrats are “likely” going to keep her seat, but the party’s longtime hold on the state has shown signs of slipping in recent elections. In the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris won Minnesota by just four percentage points after former President Joe Biden won the state by seven points in 2020. Smith won her 2020 re-election bid by five points.

Last month, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced he would not seek re-election in 2026, blowing the Senate race wide open in the Great Lakes State. Peters said he “always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation,” adding, “I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”

Republicans are currently favored to hang on to control of the Senate in the 2026 midterms and have a good chance to build on their 53-seat majority.