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The Politics Chicks is a progressive politics podcast and politics news show hosted by Christy Branham and Monica Healy.
Every week, we sit down with candidates, elected officials, journalists, historians, policy experts, advocates, and everyday Americans shaping the future of our democracy. We go beyond the headlines with thoughtful interviews, fact-based analysis, and candid conversations about the issues that affect our lives—from elections and public policy to healthcare, education, civil rights, and the economy.
Whether we’re interviewing members of Congress, first-time candidates, medical experts, or community leaders, our mission is the same: to inform, challenge, and inspire.
If you’re looking for a politics podcast that values evidence over outrage, curiosity over division, and hope over cynicism, welcome home.
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@ThePoliticsChicks
Christy: Welcome to the Politics Chicks podcast. I'm Christy Branham
Monica: And I'm Monica Healy
Christy: Today we're so honored to be joined by Senator Tina Smith, who has represented Minnesota in the United States Senate since 2018 after previously serving as Minnesota's lieutenant governor
Monica: Senator Smith believes politics should be about improving people's lives, and during her time in the Senate, she has helped pass more than 70 bills and provisions into law, including efforts that helped establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday, expand access to mental health care, and advance the most significant climate legislation in US history
Christy: Now in her final year in the Senate, Senator Smith continues to be a fierce advocate for Minnesotans while focusing on the next chapter of her life
Monica: She and her husband Archie have called Minnesota home for more than 40 years and are the proud parents of two sons, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and one very lucky black lab named Moose
Christy: Yay. Thank you for coming on today, Senator Smith. We're so glad to have you
Sen. Tina Smith: thank you so much, Christy and Monica. I'm so glad to join the politics chicks.
Christy: You are an honorary
Monica: today. Yes. Okay, before we jump in with the things that we had planned to ask you, would you be willing to comment on both the War Powers Act the Senate passed yesterday and the president's refusal to sign the bipartisan housing bill into law until the SAVE Act passed?
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. Okay, so, so much chaos. It's just kind of unbelievable. But first, the War Powers Act. So this is a really big deal. After 10 times trying, Democrats, um, all of the Democrats but one and four Republicans passed in the Senate a War Powers Act, which basically says, that, that the, the war in Iran should stop, and that if the president is going to do anything further in Iran with American troops, that he needs to ask the permission of Congress, which is what the Constitution says.
Sen. Tina Smith: this was a, a resolution. It also passed the House, and it's a pretty big deal. It is certainly symbolic in the sense that there's nothing that's gonna force this president to do the right thing, but it is a big deal because it's the first time that, um, members of the president's own party have joined with Democrats to say, "This war is bad for our constituents.
Sen. Tina Smith: It's bad for America. We don't trust you on this, and we need it to stop."
Christy: And how about the, how about the SAVE Act?
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh, so this is just unbelievable. So, you know, talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory here. We are-- We have passed the most significant housing legislation that has passed Congress in the last 30 years or so to boost the supply of housing and help lower housing costs, probably the number one issue that I hear about from Minnesotans, and was negotiated with the damn president.
Sen. Tina Smith: And suddenly, out of the blue this morning, he says, "I'm not gonna even sign the bill until, um, the Senate passes the SAVE Act," which is this ridiculous piece of legislation that does not have support, which would, among many things, basically do away with, um, mail-in, uh, voting, along with a bunch of other stuff that would make it so much harder for, legal voters to vote in this country.
Christy: Especially women. It's gonna make it harder for women like Monica and I who took our husbands' names when we got married
Sen. Tina Smith: Such a great point. You know, if your, if your name changes and you, you'd have-- I mean, you'd have to go through this whole process of, um, re-registering to vote, and I took my husband's name. I mean, we've been married for over 40 years and, um, and my birth certificate says my name is Christine, Flint.
Sen. Tina Smith: So, uh, yeah, it's, it's just, it's not a well-thought-through piece of legislation, but it's worse than that because it really is designed to take away people's rights, uh, to vote. And that's, I think, because he thinks that's the only way that he can win elections.
Christy: Exactly.
Monica: Okay, I have to count myself as one of those people that did not know that Tina came from Christina
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh, yes. Yeah. Usually the only people that call me Christine are people that don't know me very well, like new doctors and when I go to get my driver's license renewed
Christy: Okay, fun fact, my real name is Christine. And the... Yeah, and the only person who calls me Christine is my mom when she's mad at me, and I'm 56 years old.
Sen. Tina Smith: come see me.
Christy: Exactly. Exactly. All right. So we're gonna just jump right into the Boundary Waters because that is such a Minnesota issue, right? You've spent years protecting the Boundary Waters, and Monica and I, we recently published a piece examining the efforts to expand mining near the watershed and the questionable economic interests behind those proposals.
Christy: So for listeners who may not fully understand what's at stake, can you talk about why the Boundary Waters is so important, not just environmentally, but culturally and economically to Minnesota?
Sen. Tina Smith: Well, so first of all, anybody who's watching this, if you haven't seen what Monica and Christy did, you really should check it out. I looked at it this morning, and it's such an impressive analysis of how the money is flowing. Um, a lot of times you can answer a lot of questions by saying follow the money, and that's what you all laid out so well.
Sen. Tina Smith: It's really impressive. So, you know, the Boundary Waters is one of the great places on Earth. It is on a par with, uh, Grand Canyon and Zion and Denali National Park. It's just exceptional places of uniqueness and beauty. It also is deeply connected to Minnesota's, culture and, and the culture of Minnesota before Minnesota was even here, because it is the ancestral homeland of, uh, the Anishinaabe people, the Chippewa people, and Ojibwe people, all of the same groups of folks that have lived in that part of, the country, this land mass for time immemorial.
Sen. Tina Smith: And what's at stake here is whether or not we take this special place, one of the most widely visited wilderness areas in the whole country, and whether we allow mining, copper sulfide mining, to happen on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters. And understand, if we do that, uh, these kinds of mines, particularly in these places, they always result in water pollution, and that would be devastating to the environment and devastating to the, um, recreational opportunities and hunting and fishing, and very bad for the people that are there.
Sen. Tina Smith: So what Congressman Stauber, Pete Stauber from the Eighth District up in that part of Minnesota, has been trying to do for a long time is open this mine up, and that's really what's at stake. What people need to understand, and you all laid out so well, is that this mine would be built by a foreign conglomerate.
Sen. Tina Smith: it would build the mine, move the minerals, uh, the ore, to most likely to China, where it would be smelted and then sold back to Americans. So it doesn't even really address our supply needs for critical minerals because it essentially would just ship all the minerals someplace else. We're left with the pain, and this company and their investors get all the gain.
Christy: And the company's from Chile. It is not an American company. They do have an American subsidiary, but it's still, yeah, so
Sen. Tina Smith: That's, that's, that's exactly right. And there's been a lot of economic analysis of this mine. I helped to put a 20-year moratorium on building a mine in this area, and the reason that that happened was massive analysis was done looking at the likelihood of damage done to the Boundary Waters watershed, and the risk was just too great.
Sen. Tina Smith: Um, but the other thing that's super interesting is that, um, it would also probably have a net negative economic impact on this part of the state because there would be jobs lost and economic opportunity lost because of the mine that would be greater than the economic gain over even the medium term from, uh, building this mine.
Monica: I think that's one of the things that people are missing up in Northern Minnesota when people like Pete Stauber talk about the importance of mining, and it a- actually ends up with a net loss of jobs in the mining industry
Sen. Tina Smith: And I think it's, you know, it's always important to remember we live in a state that is so blessed with natural resources, including mineral resources. Minnesota is a mining state. And, and most people in Minnesota, I'm not opposed to mining. Um, mining is a strong economic driver, but that doesn't mean that you support every mine in every place.
Sen. Tina Smith: And I think that's the sort of the value that is at risk here were this mine to be built.
Christy: and we're talking about literally an area, one of the only areas in the country where the water is still safe to drink out of the ground.
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah, I don't know if, I don't know if either one of you have ever been or spent any time in the Boundary Waters, but-- So you know what it's like. You canoe out and you can go into the middle of the lake and dip your, your mug into the lake and drink it because it's, it's, uh, it's that clean.
Sen. Tina Smith: And, um, it's one of the largest freshwater resources anyplace in the country
Monica: It's so close to the hearts of, of Minnesotans, but
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah
Monica: about why it's important on a national level, not just to Minnesota?
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh, it's such a great, it's such a great point. And we really learned this when we were having this big battle in Congress trying to stop Congressman Stauber's, bill to reopen mining in the watershed. And what we found is people from all over the country, um, hunters and anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, the descendants of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was responsible for the original protection of this land when Superior National Forest was created back in, like, 1907.
Sen. Tina Smith: Uh, people from all over the country who appreciate the uniqueness of this resource and, and, and want to protect it. Also, all the small businesses and the outfitters that rely on the economic activity of, the Boundary Waters all year long. Um, I mean, I'm more likely to go in the summertime.
Sen. Tina Smith: I'm probably not gonna be doing a lot of ice camping in the wintertime, but, uh,
Christy: Those are all like little mom and pop businesses that have been owned by families for generations too, which is just really, you know, people don't understand that this is part of the culture up there. It's part of the-- These are members of the community that are gonna be losing their livelihoods, so
Sen. Tina Smith: right. Well, I just want everyone to know that, you know, we, we narrowly lost the vote in the Senate, but that doesn't mean that the fight is over. We lost the vote, but we are not gonna lose this fight. And now there will be a l- a lengthy permitting process and, both by the state and by the federal government, and I feel confident then when that-- if the laws are followed, then those permits will never be, given because the mine is just too dangerous to the watershed
Monica: What, what do you see as success five years from now?
Sen. Tina Smith: Well, five years from now, I would like to see a piece of legislation that is gonna be on the, um, gonna, gonna be under consideration next year in Minnesota that basically says, "Nope, we're not gonna build a mine. We're not gonna build a copper sulfide mine in the watershed of the Boundary Waters." I'd like to see that passed, and I'd like to see, just for extra measure, uh, that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says that they will not give the permit to mine.
Sen. Tina Smith: And if we win some elections at the federal level, then we could also reinstate other protections at the, at the federal level as well, which would be, um, sort of double and triple good, just to make sure that we don't have to keep on fighting this fight every year for decades.
Christy: I think Minnesota has been spending far too much time in the headlines this past year,
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh boy.
Christy: because the next point that we're gonna talk about is Operation Metro Surge, and it was just so unprecedented. Monica and I are both from Maple Grove, so you're probably familiar with the metro
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh, yeah
Christy: Monica's daughters lived in the city, and were on patrol.
Christy: Um, Monica herself was on patrol during that time. And how do you think the state is recovering from this event? Because what I'm seeing and what I'm feeling still is this residual trauma from what the government inflicted upon
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. I mean, I think there was a... I've talked to so many people about this at home, and Th-there was a fundamental trust that people had that was shattered by Operation Metro Surge. And that trust is about whether you believe that your government, the federal government, is there to protect you or will it hurt you.
Sen. Tina Smith: And what happened during Operation Metro Surge is people were grappling with seeing these armed men leap out of black Suburbans with masks and completely destroy, people's civil rights, their human rights, injure people, even kill Minnesotans. And that trust has been shattered, and their faith has been shattered, and that is not gonna just bounce back over, you know, a week or two, just because we don't see those black Suburbans driving around our, our state anymore.
Sen. Tina Smith: So I see it in, d- enrollment in some parts of the cities, metro areas, schools that are still down. I see it when my staff is helping families who still have loved ones that are detained in, East Montana Detention Center down in Texas. These are people that were here legally, that were going through the immigration process and doing everything right.
Sen. Tina Smith: Um, I see it in the restaurants that have lost so much. They lost revenue they'll never recover. Some haven't even reopened. I see it in the indictments Of the, um, people who were out, probably like your daughters, Monica, who were out, taking care of their neighbors and watching out for their community, and were, you know, uh, attacked by the government for doing that.
Christy: For thought
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. Yes. Yes.
Christy: for thought crimes
Sen. Tina Smith: Yes. That's right. And I mean, let's all be clear, and I think Minnesota has been very clear about this.if you use violence to hurt other people or destroy property, that is not acceptable. We do not, we do not support that. but to just be using your voices and your bodies to demonstrate against something that is blatantly illegal, you know, that is not a crime in this country, and it shouldn't be treated like a crime, and the people who do it should not be treated like criminals
Monica: As we're recording this, it is five months to the day since Alex Pretti was killed, and there has been no one held accountable for his murder.
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah
Monica: And yet we are seeing Minnesotans being arrested for, as Christy pointed out, thought crimes. That indictment doesn't really hold anything of substance. And what, what do you see going forward?
Monica: What would accountability look like for you?
Sen. Tina Smith: Well, accountability would be a, would be, first of all, a fair and unbiased and a trusted investigation done by both state and federal authorities, federal authorities that are like real law enforcement and not political people, to get to the bottom of what happened, um, and to get accountability and justice for, Alex Pretti, and Nicole.
Sen. Tina Smith: And, um, I think, I mean, the other form of accountability that I would like to see would be some way of, you know, repairing the damage that was done to so many businesses who haven't recovered from what happened. And, um, y- you know, I think that's what people are looking for.
Sen. Tina Smith: They're looking for... They know that the, they know that the damage can't be undone, but if there is some justice in all of this, um, that would make a big difference. And, you know, I, I talk to my colleagues here in the Senate from Illinois and from California and from Oregon, from New Jersey, w- um, who, whose communities have also been torn apart by, uh, these, terrible actions.
Sen. Tina Smith: And, and, you know, that, the justice needs to be a- you know, across the board and, and not just Minnesota.
Christy: Yeah. And I think what's giving me hope is the judiciary because, let's move on to the judge who recently quashed the subpoenas for Governor Walz, Gen-- you know, Attorney General Ellison and Mayor Frey. What significance do you see in those decisions? Because I to be honest with you, I was shocked that that happened
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. Well, so, um, you know, everybody should just take a look at that, um, opinion that the judge wrote. So this is a judge who was appointed by, uh, George Bush. He is a good federal judge, and he just called it like it is. He said these indictments are nothing but political retaliation. Uh, he, he was sort of scandalized by the, uh, blatant way in which the, uh, the, the president and his political people were attempting to use the judicial system to punish the president's perceived political enemies.
Sen. Tina Smith: And so I think-- I mean, it-- I think it gave me a sense of hope that there are parts of our judicial system that are still working and that are still, doing what needs to be done. And, you know, gosh, the judges in the Minnesota District Court system that have been, uh, you know, holding the line against people that have been detained illegally and arrested illegally and, uh, with just the flimsiest of,of excuses, uh, those, you know, those judges have been really a-- I mean, they give me some hope.
Sen. Tina Smith: I don't know about you all, but they give me some hope about our system can withstand this attack.
Christy: For God's sake, I wish that the media was as pointed and insistent in other situations as they were with the federal attorney when he actually released the indictment. They were giving him no ground. I mean, it was-- They were firm and insistent with him, you know, saying, "How can you justify this?"
Christy: And I really wish that the media would be a little bit more that way because I think it's giving them an inch and they'll take a mile.
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah, I think, I think that's right. That's, th-th-that's-- I mean, you-- Such a great reminder, Christy, of how important a role the, the press has in holding these, um, bad actors accountable. And of course, it's also a lot of what you all are doing too. You know, you're having conversations with people and giving, giving folks who are, you know, listening and watching a way of, feeling like there is some accountability in the system and people are telling them the truth.
Monica: So much of what we're seeing within indictments, the, the process is the punishment because all of these are, are falling apart, but it's a matter of intimidation and fear. And we spoke to the co-leaders of Twin Cities Indivisible the other day and what they're seeing. And despite that intimidation tactic, they are seeing more engagement.
Monica: Are you hearing that from your office, from your constituents? They are more civically engaged?
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah, yeah. I mean, didn't you have this feeling too when we were in the midst of Operation Metro Surge and it was February and it was so freezing outside, and Minnesotans just kept showing up and kept engaging and kept doing what needed to be done? And when you thought they're gonna get tired or something bad is gonna happen, they just kept on going.
Sen. Tina Smith: And I mean, I think we showed America what resistance looks like. And, um, I think that that is still happening, not in exactly the same ways, but it's still happening. And, uh, that's what we need right now. I mean, there is no magic to standing up to this authoritarian, attempted takeover of our federal government.
Sen. Tina Smith: The magic is in the power of people to say, "No, that's not what we're gonna-- We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna allow that to happen."
Monica: The power of the people is greater than the people in power
Christy: Yes. Yeah. And don't mess with Minnesotans because we live in a state where the air hurts our face and mosquitoes are the size of Volkswagens, so
Sen. Tina Smith: right. Especially don't mess with us in the winter because we are always gonna be better at winter than you are,
Christy: Exactly. Exactly. Well, you're, you're finishing up your final year as a United States senator, and you've spent nearly a decade in Washington and years of public service here in Minnesota. How are you doing personally? Because, like, that's, that isn't
Monica: It's a big change
Christy: flip off, right? So how are you doing personally in preparing for this next chapter?
Sen. Tina Smith: Uh, well, it's, um, it's, it's super interesting because I think a lot about what my life would be like if I'm running for re-election and how challenging it would be to be mounting a campaign at the same time that I'm doing this really important work to protect our democracy and, and I'm grateful that I am able to focus on this job right away.
Sen. Tina Smith: Sometimes I feel like I should be doing a better job of preparing for what's next, but actually I'm just so focused on what I'm doing right now. I'm not spending a lot of time thinking about that literally. Uh, you all the, the-- I can sort of get as far as imagining packing up my apartment in Washington.
Sen. Tina Smith: I can picture getting in the car with Archie and then driving someplace warm for a couple of weeks to just, like, decompress a little bit, and it's hard for me to picture. I've been working so hard for so many years. I mean, I'm like a lot of Americans, right? Maybe my job has been a little bit more in the public eye, but a lot of people go through this.
Sen. Tina Smith: You work really hard and then you have a major transition and you gotta figure it out. And I'm excited though about the, you know, the adventures ahead and I have-- my entire life I have been involved in my communities, you know, starting out when I was just a mom organizing my neighborhood, and I'm sure that that will continue to be a part of my life.
Sen. Tina Smith: and it's just gonna be fun to see what happens next.
Monica: During our introduction, we shared some of your accomplishments, and we'll remind our listeners here. You helped pass more than 70 bills and provisions into law, efforts that helped establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday, expand access to mental health care, advance historic climate legislation. So as you are winding things down, what are you most proud of?
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh, um, it's funny because today I've been thinking about this d- you know, this darn housing bill that the president is refusing to sign, and there's a big provision in that bill that I've worked very hard on for quite a few years to protect, very affordable places for people to live and 400,000 very affordable homes for people in small towns and rural communities.
Sen. Tina Smith: And when that passes, that's gonna be a b- I, I-- When, I'm su- I-- Somehow it's gotta get done. Um, I'm b- I'll be very, very proud of that. But honestly, I think the thing that I will be most proud of when it's all said and done is the work that I've done around mental health. and think about kind of what we were all talking about when it came to mental health before the pandemic, and then the pandemic happened, and especially thinking about the impact of the pandemic on, um, on our kids.
Sen. Tina Smith: Not just our kids, but especially our kids. Um, and I was working on, uh, mental health for young people before the pandemic, but I think I'll be most proud of the work that we've done I've done to help to get better access to mental health care for kids in schools, and also just to make it, um, a little bit more okay for young people to talk about their challenges and, um, and feel like there shouldn't be so much stigma around mental health.
Sen. Tina Smith: I mean, your body, your head is part of your body, your brain is part of your body. Um, healthcare is healthcare, and everybody deserves, everybody should have the, you know, right to healthcare as a human right, including mental healthcare.
Christy: Well, and I respect how open you've been when you've talked about your own mental health and dealing with things. I mean, a lot of people I think find, find a sense of hope in that and a sense of camaraderie in that, that they're not alone in struggling with their mental health, that everyone has that happen to them
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. I think I real-- I so appreciate you saying that. And, you know, when I was first working on mental health in the Senate, I hadn't really told anybody outside of my family about some of my struggles when I was younger. And then I, I was a little resistant, and I think it was mostly because I didn't wanna, like, make this be about me.
Sen. Tina Smith: I wanted it to be about everybody, you know, everybody who's having this challenge. But what I missed initially was the power of me speaking out, as sort of helping to overcome some of that stigma. And I will-- I, it really w- it drove home for me one day when I was at the airport flying back to Washington on a Monday morning.
Sen. Tina Smith: I was in buying, I don't know, Mentos or something like that before I got on the plane, and this young woman came up to me and she s- just said, "Senator Smith, I, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I just want you to know what a difference it has made to me in my life that you spoke, uh, openly about your own struggles, because it made it be easier for me to come to grips with the things that I've been going through."
Sen. Tina Smith: And I was like, "Well, like, if that's, that's like one person," then it was, you know, totally worth it.
Christy: Sometimes people just need permission. They need, they need to hear that validation, and you gave that to them, and I just,
Monica: see themselves in their leadership
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah, that's right. Well, and then a lot of times people that are in positions of power and authority, whether it's in the, you know, politics or, you know, corporate world or wherever, they sort of present this, like, persona of, like, being, like, untouchable and everything is great and I'm here because I've got it all together and maybe if you...
Sen. Tina Smith: You know, that's not really the way it is. Uh, and so kind of unbundling that a little bit, I think is, you know, makes everybody seem more real.
Christy: And we ask this question of all of our guests. What is giving you hope right now?
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. Um, well, what gives me hope is seeing people just, organize and build power and do the work that they're doing in all the ways that they're doing it, whether it's like what you both are doing by creating a place for people to come together virtually and talk about what they care about, or whether it's the young volunteers that are showing up to organize for my friend Peggy Flanagan, who's running for, um, United States Senate, or just like the, the-- What gives me hope are the way that people are continuing to just show up and do the work.
Sen. Tina Smith: Um, and I get a lot of hope when I see the, um, young up-and-coming leaders moving into positions where they're not afraid to challenge the status quo and shake things up a little bit, and they're not just gonna go along, you know, to get along. They're gonna really do something, and I love that
Monica: Well, we know you have a bit of a time crunch, so we'll wrap things up. But, um, we're gonna end on a little bit of a lighter note, um, 'cause you have a notorious sweet tooth. And I taught music for 30 years, and every Halloween as the kids would be leaving my room, I would tell them, "Did you know that November 1st is National Bring Your Music Teacher a Piece of Candy Day?"
Monica: And, and I would tell them that Butterfinger was my favorite, partly because I also like Butterfinger, but because I know a lot of the kids don't. So November 1st, I would have piles and piles of candy. So we have to know, what are you gonna fill your candy dish with?
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh,
Monica: what should we tell, um, everybody, bring your favorite senator this candy tomorrow?
Sen. Tina Smith: Well, I have a notorious weakness for Hot Tamales, the candy. literally somebody-- I was up visiting, uh, the Fond du Lac, uh, band in, uh, northern Minnesota, and one of, one of my friends there d- gave me, like, a seven-pound bag of Hot Tamale candy. And so that's my favorite, though I have to tell you, I have a s- I have an October rule about candy, Monica, which is that, um, in October, you can eat as much candy corn as you can stand, but you can't have it the rest of the year. And so
Christy: my husband had that rule because he loves candy corn and, like, has a stash of it all the time, and I can't stand the smell of it.
Sen. Tina Smith: Oh my God. Well, usually I eat so much the first like five days that I'm, that I'm done. I can't eat anymore, but
Christy: thank you so much
Monica: to bring you some hot tamales next time we see you then.
Sen. Tina Smith: Thank you. It's
Christy: And just as an aside, when I was in college I lived in a sorority house, and on the weekends we had to fend for ourselves for meals. So Friday and Saturday nights, my dinner was often a box of Hot Tamales with a Diet Coke. I'm almost embarrassed to say that, but,
Sen. Tina Smith: Hey, listen, you know, sometimes that's what works. It just hits the spot.
Christy: Yeah. And, and where, where can listeners follow your work and stay connected with the issues that you care about and, and follow you here as you're ending your journey in the
Sen. Tina Smith: Yeah. Well, so, um, people can find me on, um, Instagram and Facebook and, um, and I'm still on Twitter. You can find me on YouTube too. So, just write in t- uh, Senator Tina Smith and, uh, and you'll find me out there making good trouble
Christy: Yay
Monica: final words before we say goodbye?
Sen. Tina Smith: Just thank you so much, and I hope everyone has a, um, has a, a peaceful and, uh, and gentle weekend. I think that is what we all deserve.
Monica: Absolutely.
Christy: Well, thank you t- thank you so much for joining us today and for taking time to share your perspective with our audience. It's been an honor to have you. I gotta tell you, Monica and I have been giddy all week, and we haven't been able to tell anybody because, you know, we just can't because we didn't know with your schedule if this would definitely work.
Christy: And, but both of us have been fangirling all week because you're, you truly are our favorite senator from Minnesota. So yeah. Thank you so
Sen. Tina Smith: thank you so much. Have a great, uh, rest of your week and, um, great fun talking to you
Christy: Yeah.
Monica: We appreciate you so much and your service to Minnesota. Thank you
Sen. Tina Smith: Thank you
Monica: To our listeners, if you're finding meaning in the story we're sharing, if something moves you, challenges you, makes you see the world a little differently, please like, comment, and share. It helps more than you know
Christy: And follow us everywhere at the Politics Chicks on Substack, Threads, Blue Sky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook
Monica: Thanks for being a part of our community, and keep shining your light so we can find each other in the dark
Christy: And remember, we're stronger together. Thank you again, Senator
Monica: Thank you so much