On the same day Tina Smith was forced to issue a correction for lying to Minnesotans, she also found out she was getting a primary challenge. Attorney Nick Leonard announced yesterday he will be challenging Smith for the Democratic Senate nomination.
Clearly this isn’t the way Smith thought things would go as a U.S. Senator. During her first month in office, Smith has been plagued by horrible name ID, reckless decisions and now she’s facing a costly primary. In a state trending Republican, the last thing Tina Smith can afford is to move even further to the left to compete in a primary.
Now the question is how much damage will the primary inflict on Smith’s chances in November?
“This primary will force Tina Smith to spend time and resources she doesn’t have, and will damage her chances to win in November,” said NRSC Spokesman Michael McAdams. “Voters will be watching as Leonard and Smith compete to see who can run further to the left, and that’s not going to play well on Election Day.”