There will be another seat in the Senate in the Senate in 2026

Senator Tina Smith from Minnesota announced on Thursday that it would not seek to re -election in 2026, forcing the Democratic Party to defend another open seat in the middle of the time next year and made their goal more difficult to restore the majority of the Senate.

“I decided not to run to re -elect the Senate in 2026,” Smith said on a social media. “This job was an honor for a life pass. For the rest of my state, I will work hard as much as I can for Mainisotan and our country. Thank you very much, Minnesota.”

Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 to succeed former Senator Francoin after his resignation on the allegations of sexual misconduct. She won special elections later that year to serve the Frankeen period and was re -elected in 2020 to a period of six years.

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Republicans in the Senate pledged to try to turn the seat of Smith in the blue Minnesota.

“Minnesota plays a role, and we are playing to win. Senator Senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunities and more secure societies deserves,” Senator Tim Scott, Chairman of the National Century Committee (NRSC) said in a statement to Fox News.

But the arm of the Democrats in the Senate’s campaign quickly pledged to maintain the seat in the hands of the party.

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“No fans have won a Senate race in Minnesota for more than 20 years, and Democrats will continue to occupy this seat in 2026,” and the Democrats will continue to occupy this seat in 2026. “

Smith’s minority leader Chuck Schumer from New York, the great democratic of the Chamber, praised Smith as “the wonderful Senate member – smart, emotional and tirelessly in its commitment to Minnesota and the country.”

“While I will lack its leadership and friendship with the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy in service will continue to inspire her. We have a strong seat in Minnesota, and I am sure that we will keep her blue seat,” Shomer predicted.

Smith has become the second democratic of the Senate to announce that it will abandon the candidacy for his re -election in the middle of the period, after Senator Gary Peters from Michigan, a basic mandate in the Middle West.

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The Republicans of the Senate enjoyed a positive map in the 2024 session, where they flipped four seats from blue to red and won a 53-47 majority in the room. An early reading of the 2026 map shows that it will continue to play the attack in some states, but will be forced to play defense in others.

Besides the open seat in Michigan, the Republican Party will target Senator John Osov in the first -term battlefield Georgia and Senator Jane Shaheen long ago in Swing State New Hampshire.

However, Democrats are planning to continue the crime of Maine with blue tendencies, where Senator Susan Collins returns to his re -election, as well as in the battlefield in North Carolina, where the Republican Senator thom Tillis also rose in 2026.

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The Cook report, a non -partisan political obstacle, classified Minnesota as a “potential democratic”, as it revealed its first reading in the majority battle in the Senate in the 2026 session.

The governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, who served as Vice President Kamala Harris on the 2024 National Democratic Ticket, moved to social media after Smith news.

“Tina has always worked to improve people’s lives: reducing the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historical climate legislation, and our party’s hero for reproductive freedom. Minnesotani will be absent from its presence in the Senate,” Walz wrote. .

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There is Walz speculation, eligible to run for his re -election in 2026 for a period of four years as a ruler in Minnesota, who may now have an interest in the Senate Open seat in his term.

Smith noted, in a video announcement published on social media, that the Democrats “have a deep seat of political talent in Minnesota. To make room for them to move forward.”

Lieutenant Gov Peggy Flaanagan moved to the launch of a campaign, saying in a social media post, “I love Minnesota, and Niwi is that the candidacy for the United States and continues to serve the people of this state. I will issue an official advertisement later this month.”

There is also speculation that Democratic MP Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, a member of the alleged team, may take a step to run for the Senate.