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 open up 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.”
It opens up a Senate seat in a state that has shown signs of erosion for Democrats, despite Minnesota’s long history of voting blue. President Joe Biden won the state by 7 points in 2020, while 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.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson David Bergstein reacted to Smith’s decision in a statement, 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.
Other Democratic contenders include state Attorney General Keith Ellison, who previously represented the state’s 5th Congressional District and served as Democratic National Committee deputy chair; Rep. Angie Craig; and former Rep. Dean Phillips, who mounted an unsuccessful 2024 primary challenge against Biden.
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere contributed to this report.
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