Political Quotes

Tina Smith

The Public Record

Tina Elizabeth Smith is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Minnesota since January 3, 2018. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, she has focused on issues such as healthcare, education, and economic equity during her time in office. Smith previously served as the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota from 2015 to 2018, where she worked on initiatives to improve access to healthcare and support for families and children.

Quotes by year · 199520261,013 total · peak 2023 (242)
1995: 38 quotes1996: 36 quotes1997: 2 quotes1998: 1 quote2000: 2 quotes2001: 2 quotes2002: 4 quotes2003: 42 quotes2004: 41 quotes2005: 41 quotes2006: 25 quotes2007: 34 quotes2008: 14 quotes2009: 1 quote2010: 1 quote2012: 1 quote2015: 1 quote2018: 60 quotes2019: 21 quotes2020: 18 quotes2021: 132 quotes2022: 94 quotes2023: 242 quotes2024: 82 quotes2025: 52 quotes2026: 26 quotes

Most widely reported

by number of sources
  1. Abdul is the best candidate to win Michigan in November because he is the one who has the capacity to build the grassroots movement that is going to power Democrats to victory.25 sources2026commondreams.org
  2. I speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. In the last Congress Senator Kennedy and I introduced the Local Law Enforcement Act, a bill that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. I will describe a terrible crime that occurred April 8, 2002 in Northern Virginia. Two men beat a tow truck driver on the Beltway near Washington, D.C. The tow truck driver, who is Iranian, stopped on the highway to assist two men who appeared to be in need of help. After the driver stopped, the two men punched and choked him while calling him racist names. I believe that Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.16 sources2003govinfo.gov
  3. I wish to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor to highlight a separate hate crime that has occurred in our country. On September 22, 2007, Matthew Shetima was walking through an alley in Farmington, NM, when he encountered three men. Shetima, a gay man, claims that Scott Thompson, 21, Jerry Paul, 40, and Craig Yazzie, 37, all from New Mexico, called him over as he walked by the men. According to the police report, the three men began to hit Shetima, all of them calling him derogatory names as they struck him. According to the police report, when he fell to the ground, at least one of the men asked him if he wanted to die as they continued to kick him. Shetima was then pulled into the hotel room the three men were staying in, where the assault continued. Fortunately, Shetima was able to escape. The district attorney prosecuting the case is seeking sentencing enhancements for all three men under New Mexico's hate crime law. I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance.9 sources2008govinfo.gov
  4. Each Congress I rise to honor February as Black History Month. Each February since 1926, we have recognized the contributions of Black Americans to the history of our Nation. This month I want to celebrate some of the contributions made by Black Americans in my home State of Oregon. The story of Abner Hunt Francis, a merchant from Buffalo, NY, is particularly moving. Francis, a man who gravitated to leadership, co-founded the Buffalo City Anti-Slavery Society in 1838 and organized local colored conventions throughout the 1830s and '40s in his native state. In 1851 he left the East Coast for the City of Portland in the Oregon Territory, expecting to encounter freer country on the American frontier. Francis was disappointed to discover that despite the progressive attitude of its settlers, racist laws still encumbered Oregon Territory. It was not long after opening a boardinghouse that Francis's brother, O. H. Francis, was arrested.4 sources2008govinfo.gov
  5. I today speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. On May 1, 2003, Senator Kennedy and I introduced the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, a bill that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. On August 9, 2000, police charged four men in Daly City, CA, for allegedly assaulting two gay men in a fast food restaurant. I believe that Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. By passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.3 sources2004govinfo.gov
  6. I wish to speak on the latest round of United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran. This past Monday, the Security Council voted 14 to 0 to increase sanctions on Iran in response to its continued enrichment of uranium. I applaud the United Nations for pursuing the diplomacy necessary to avoid hostilities. The vote was another step on the long diplomatic path toward increasing stability in the Middle East, but more remains to be done. Among other measures, these sanctions are important in restricting the travel and freezing the assets of certain Iranian officials and banks. The U.N. is now following the American lead in taking action against banks like Bank Melli which are deeply involved financially with the Iranian Government and its nuclear program. The near unanimity shown by members of the Security Council, including the five veto-holding countries, was a strong and unmistakable signal of the international community's condemnation of Iranian policies. That signal would be even stronger if the Security Council members--and Russia and China in particular--would take further economic measures, including against Iran's energy sector. These countries need to realize that a nuclear-armed Iran does not just threaten the United States or the West but indeed the entire Middle East, the nuclear nonproliferation regime, and potentially the world. The very idea of a nuclear Iran is chilling.2 sources2008govinfo.gov
Aug 9, 2026

This bill will strengthen education, preparedness, and response efforts for these diseases, ensuring that Americans can continue to safely enjoy the outdoors.

king.senate.gov
Aug 7, 2026

The number of vector-borne disease cases in Minnesota and across the country is on the rise.

king.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

Rural hospitals are vital for families in small towns and rural communities. These hospitals not only provide care close to home, they’re also economic engines for their region.

capito.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

But many rural hospitals face increasingly dire financial strain and workforce shortages, forcing them to cut services or even close down altogether.

capito.senate.gov
Jul 29, 2026

Unlike every other federal judge in this country, Supreme Court Justices aren’t bound by a code of ethics.

murphy.senate.gov
Jul 28, 2026

I would move hell or high water to make sure that Peggy Flanagan is the next senator from Minnesota.

minnesotareformer.com
Jul 28, 2026

I’ve seen senators that go along to get along, that hoard their power, that protect themselves, and pacify big money. And then I’ve seen senators who are fighters, people who are determined, who have the strength and the conviction, people…

minnesotareformer.com
Jul 24, 2026

Senator Tina Smith has been a fighter for working people in the US Senate.

foxnews.com
Jul 24, 2026

Abdul is the best candidate to win Michigan in November because he is the one who has the capacity to build the grassroots movement that is going to power Democrats to victory.

commondreams.org
Jul 17, 2026

Americans should not have to pay while corporations exploit tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share. President Trump has made it easier than ever for big corporations to get away with dodging U.S. taxes through foreign tax havens…

vanhollen.senate.gov
Jul 3, 2026

“The freedom to live and love openly without fear of retaliation is a fundamental American value,”

duckworth.senate.gov
Jun 16, 2026

Putting a big emphasis on how biofuels and ethanol can be a path forward to a new structure for agriculture is just really exciting.

iowacapitaldispatch.com
Jun 16, 2026

This is a way for us to get cleaner energy, renewable energy, lower cost energy and to create homegrown pathways for cutting costs and keeping economic opportunity here in the United States.

iowacapitaldispatch.com
Jun 12, 2026

But for women, even if we never smoke, we’re increasingly more likely than men to develop lung cancer. It’s a deeply troubling trend that we need to better understand if we hope to combat the disease.

capito.senate.gov
Jun 12, 2026

Cancer has touched each and every one of our lives in some way. Many of us remember a loved one fighting this horrible disease and doing everything we can to prevent ourselves from developing cancer.

capito.senate.gov
Jun 10, 2026

As an essential public service, the USPS owes Americans transparency.

cramer.senate.gov
Jun 9, 2026

This is the way it goes, Americans have really busy complicated lives, they're trying to figure out how to pay rent and buy groceries, but what they saw, I don't think they're going to forget it.

npr.org
Jun 9, 2026

And that's what I mean when I say we've lost these votes but that doesn't mean we've lost the fight.

npr.org
Jun 6, 2026

Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service for essentials like prescriptions, bills, and Social Security checks.

cramer.senate.gov
May 27, 2026

High-quality, efficient public transit systems are important for Minnesotans who rely on them every day to get to the office, school, the doctor, and to make their lives work.

rounds.senate.gov
Apr 15, 2026

I rise tonight thinking about my beloved Minnesota and thinking about all of the people in Minnesota and around the country that love the Boundary Waters. And I want to talk for a while about the Congressional Review Act resolution--this…

govinfo.gov
Apr 15, 2026

Allowing public land orders to be rescinded under the Congressional Review Act, which is what would be happening here tonight, is a dangerous precedent that would affect every State in our country. Public land orders have never been…

govinfo.gov
Apr 14, 2026

I rise today to discuss a Congressional Review Act resolution H.J. Res. 140 that could come before the Senate any time over the next 2 weeks, and I want to speak directly to my Republican colleagues about this CRA and why you should vote…

govinfo.gov
Mar 26, 2026

I rise today with a solemn heart to honor the life of U.S. Army Reserve MSG Nicole Amor from White Bear Lake, MN. Master Sergeant Amor was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Kuwait when she, along with five other…

govinfo.gov

Politicians like Tina Smith