A biography for Tina Smithhasn’t been written yet.
“I think there are some people in Washington who are pretty out of step with what people want, certainly what Minnesotans want.”
“Anybody who knows the voters of Minnesota knows that they can't be told what to do.”
“With mental health, it's not like there's a box where you're healthy and another box where you've got a mental illness. You try to stay at the healthy end of the continuum, and watch as you move, and I've been able to do that.”
“Nobody has a cakewalk to become governor.”
“I'll never have the seniority of lions of the Senate who've been in office for decades. What I do have is a lifetime of experience as a parent and activist, small business owner, and lieutenant governor of Minnesota.”
“I'm wary when legislators say the solution to school shootings is mental health care, because it suggests that people who are mentally ill are violent, and that's just not true.”
“I went to college and majored in political science.”
“It's so important that we figure out a way of moving beyond the stigma that still exists around treatment for mental health.”
“I had always heard that Mitch McConnell was a master legislator and a true loyalist to this institution. But in the 18 months I've been in the Senate, what I've seen is an astonishingly limited vision for what the Senate can and should accomplish. What a waste.”
“You know, sometimes I think people in politics are always looking for the next job and the next opportunity. And frankly, that's just not the way I'm wired.”
“When the extreme right-wing... charges forward with a defund Planned Parenthood, anti-Planned Parenthood focused message, what happens is that people rally even more around Planned Parenthood.”
“What I intend to do is be just a really fierce advocate for Minnesotans here in Washington, D.C.”
“In politics and life, timing is everything.”
“I believe that my work extending health care to women through Planned Parenthood is something that most people will respect and do respect.”
“I will be my own kind of senator using my own best judgment and my own experience.”
“We need to create a fair immigration process that ensures the wellbeing of all families and prevents the wrong people from coming to this country, that includes reforming ICE and immigration enforcement.”
“The Senate has a reputation as quite a collegial place, and I have found that to be true, especially with the women.”
“I've always found that if you listen to people you can find common ground.”
“Do not underestimate me. I believe that as a woman, a progressive, and a Minnesotan, I have a lot to contribute and I am so ready to do that work.”
“When women are empowered to contribute more fully, we all benefit.”