(Reuters) – Minnesota’s Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith was appointed as U.S. senator on Wednesday to replace Al Franken, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment, the state’s governor said at a news conference.
Governor Mark Dayton said Smith will serve a term concluding in January 2019. Smith, 59, will run in a special election for the seat next year.
Smith became lieutenant governor in January 2015. The Star Tribune said she previously worked as Dayton’s chief of staff and held positions at General Mills and Planned Parenthood.
Last week Franken, 66, also a Democrat, announced his resignation from the seat he has held since 2009. The former comedian has denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against Franken.
Minnesota will soon have two women senators, as Smith will join fellow Democrat Amy Klobuchar, 57, who was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2012.
The Republican Party’s slim majority in the Senate will not be affected by the move to replace Franken.
Democrats will gain a seat to cut Republican’s majority in the 100-member Senate to 51 after Tuesday night’s victory by Doug Jones over Republican candidate Roy Moore in a special election in Alabama.
(Corrects paragraph 5 to show Klobuchar was first elected in 2006 then reelected in 2012)
Reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Bill Trott
Doesn’t she have to wait for franken to actually resign before she can take office?
Good grief. The clown show marches on. But it is minnesota. The state needs thorough analysis of constituent chemicals in its drinking water systems.
She groped me without my consent in 2015.
So this one can grab her own boobs, is there beyond that, any real difference?
Watch her smile disappear when she loses to a Muslim next election.
The death knell for white DemoCRAPs being able to run for any office under the DemoCRAP party or having any important position in the New Democrap party of Minorities is well near nigh!
They have found their winning strategy. We need to use smear tactics in every election from now on just like the dems will do. If not this country is toast. Fight or die.
No more “that’s not who we are.” What good is playing nice when the enemy fights dirty? Get ready for the sex war on the President. It’s going to get very, very nasty.
@MJA – is GOP going to run a Muslim next year in MN? Cuz that’s the only way one will win.
😉
Wait! That’s Al Franken with a wig!
At what point are Democrat men going to see they’ve started a war on themselves and they are going to be losing seats left and right to women if their woman have anything to do with it.
Worked for the Planned Butcher Shop. It figures.
She’s obviously native american. Look at the way she holds her hand up and sez ‘HOW’…..
Al Franken’s replacement will be 66-year-old Frank Allen.
Great another leftist cunt.
Franken will invite her to share his office. She can sit on his lap.
Why didn’t they appoint Keith Ellison?
Ellison is more deserving than some anonymous white Lt Governor.
The Democrats are racists.
Minnesotastan
JUST LIKE MSNBC
One lunatic resigns, gets fired, or quits, it’s the “Next nut up!”
Maybe Dayton can appoint the successor to John ‘The Icon’ Conyers over in Michistan. Both States start with a ‘M’, so, good enough.
I hope she enjoys her two years while feeding at the government trough. Then she’ll become akin to dog poop.
seriously … can someone please appoint me to be Senator (aka Free Ride For The Rest Of My Life) for the next 2 years (heck, make it for the next 6 months), ’cause I want a free pension, free healthcare for the rest of my life, get-out-of-jail-free card (drowning young women, waitress sandwiches), free trips to anywhere, legal insider trading … & I promise not to grope too many people, including Marci Kaptur (unless she shows me some cleavage .. then all bets are off!) 😛
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/13/marcy-kaptur-womens-clothing-sexual-harassment-294974
and that’s her orgasm face…………………….Ha Ha, made ya look….
Why not run the MyPillow guy? I don’t know his political leanings, but he is a businessman who brought a lot of jobs to Minnesota making those pillows.