Lt. Gov. Tina Smith will head to Washington to temporary fill the Senate seat left vacant by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, who resigned last week in the midst of sexual misconduct allegations and an ethics committee investigation.
“Though I never anticipated this moment, I’m resolved to do everything that I can to move Minnesota forward, and I will be a fierce advocate in the United States Senate for economic opportunity and fairness,” Smith said Wednesday from the Minnesota state Capitol.
“This is a difficult moment for us but even now I am filled with optimism for Minnesota.”
Smith was appointed today by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton to serve a one-year term, ending in January 2019, until a special election in Nov. 2018 to permanently fill Franken’s seat.
Smith said that she intends to run in the special election, adding it’s “up to Minnesotans to decide for themselves who they want to complete Sen. Franken’s term.”
Franken announced he would be stepping down last Thursday on the Senate floor after several women had accused him of groping them years before he was a Minnesota senator. Smith had thanked Franken today for his service in the U.S. Senate.
Franken applauded Smith’s appointment today in a statement. He has not set an official date he will leave the Senate, but promised he will help with the transition process.
“She is a dedicated public servant who’s worked tirelessly on behalf of Minnesotans, and Governor Dayton couldn’t have made a better choice for this job. Her record of accomplishment as Lieutenant Governor demonstrates that she’ll be an effective senator who knows how to work across party lines to get things done for Minnesota. I look forward to working with her on ensuring a speedy and seamless transition,” his statement read.
The timing of Franken’s resignation allowed Dayton, a Democrat, to appoint a replacement.
Minnesota state law stipulates that in the event of a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, a special election “shall be held at the next November election if the vacancy occurs at least 11 weeks before the regular state primary preceding that election.”
Dayton said in making his decision he wanted an appointee who would run in the special election, giving “Minnesotans someone to size up and assess.”
Because Franken resigned 35 weeks out from the regular state primary, Aug. 14, 2018, according to state law, the governor, “may make a temporary appointment to fill any vacancy,” until a permanent successor is elected and sworn in.
During his speech last week, Franken had appeared to hint that his replacement might be a woman.
“But Minnesotans deserve a senator who can focus with all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every day,” Franken said.
Asked if President Donald Trump should resign since he faces sexual harassment allegations or a congressional investigation, Smith said she plans on remaining focused on the job at hand.
“I’m going to be focused completely over the next couple of weeks on getting ready to become a senator and moving into Washington, D.C. the first of January and I’m not going to get into a bunch of the discussion about what’s going in Washington right now,” Smith said.
But, she added that “sexual harassment is disrespectful” and “can’t be tolerated.”
Smith was first elected lieutenant governor in 2014. She had previously served as Dayton’s chief of staff before being tapped to be his running mate in his second campaign for governor.
ABC News’ John Verhovek contributed to this story.
