Tina Smith: podcast appearances and interviews

Tina Smith is a licensed social worker, psychotherapist, and certified EMDR therapist and consultant. She is also an author and the founder of a mental health organization. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 4, 1958, Smith moved to Minnesota in the 1980s to work for General Mills and subsequently became the vice president of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota. She transitioned into political consulting and organizing, notably managing Walter Mondale's campaign for the United States Senate in 2002 after the death of incumbent senator Paul Wellstone. Following this, she served as chief of staff to Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak and played a key role in Minnesota politics, including supporting Mark Dayton's successful gubernatorial campaign in 2010 and serving as his chief of staff. Smith was elected Minnesota's lieutenant governor in 2014 and served in that role from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, she was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy left by Al Franken and subsequently won a special election that year. She was re-elected for a full term in 2020. As a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Smith has been serving as a United States senator since 2018, representing Minnesota in the Senate. On February 13, 2025, she announced that she would not seek re-election in 2026.