Tina Smith

“High speed Internet access isn't a nice thing to have, it's a necessary thing to have.”

“We need to prioritize ending the influence of corporate special interests and secret money on politicians by limiting the amount of money they can spend on political campaigns.”

“I have always been surrounded by strong women and thoughtful men.”

“Coming to serve in the Senate and also running for the Senate in a short time period is not for the faint of heart. But I am not fainthearted.”

“I think that women are often underestimated - our suggestions, our advice, our leadership style. I think one of the reasons that that happens is women are much less likely to blow their own horn and brag about everything that they've done.”

“I will join the fight for the DREAM Act that will create a pathway to citizenship for our Dreamers.”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hairdresser.”

“As chief of staff, I was responsible for running a multibillion-dollar organization with over 34,000 employees, and working on everything from health care to transportation.”

“Take what women say seriously. That hasn't always happened in this country.”

“I ask myself: What do I need to do to stay healthy? And I do that all the time. And it's stuff like meditation, making sure I get good exercise, all the things we know.”

“These efforts to defund Planned Parenthood fail because one out of five American women have used Planned Parenthood at one time or another in their life. It's just a bad idea.”

“I was appointed to the Senate, and it has been my job to serve in the Senate and then to earn the vote of Minnesotans.”

“Every day, I talk to Democratic and Republican colleagues with lots of ideas about the work we should be doing.”

“The chance to talk to so many people and understand what they're thinking about and why it matters is really, really so interesting. When you're doing that, you have to truly listen to what people are saying. You can't just pretend to listen.”

“The way elections are won in Minnesota is by talking to people and sharing what's on their minds. It sounds so simple, but it really is the thing that works.”

“I support the 2nd Amendment - and our sportsmen and sportswomen throughout Minnesota - and I also believe that we need to pass common sense reforms that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people.”

“Our democracy depends on a free and independent press. When politicians call reporting they don't like 'fake news,' they undermine trust in our civic organizations for their own political gain.”

“Being lieutenant governor is sort of like being invited into everyone's living room, and you just get an understanding of the state.”

“In many parts of Minnesota outside of the big metro areas, and the college towns, and the regional centers like Duluth or Rochester, the state has a lot of people who work incredibly hard. I think that what happened is that Trump was able to connect with that sense of real concern.”

“I'm really focused on Minnesota and Minnesotans, and I will come to Washington, D.C., prepared to be a fierce advocate for Minnesotans, especially around economic opportunity and fairness.”