Transcript: Senator Tina Smith Says Dems Need Big Ideas Like Mamdani’s

But what I believe most is that the Democratic Party cannot just be the anti-Trump party. We tried this and look where we are. And if we don’t aggressively challenge the status quo, if we don’t come up with better ideas to ensure that the people of this country can see a way to give meaning to their work, to give their children a chance, then we’re going to continue to be in the wilderness. We’re going to continue to be a minority party and we won’t be able to compete for those votes.

I mean, I refuse to believe that there aren’t votes that Democrats can win in your home state – of course there are. But not if we’re just a pale version of Republicans, or if we’re somehow defending the status quo, or if we’re talking about minor adjustments when fundamentally massive things are wrong.

To me, that’s the throughline of this election and, you know, what happened last year and what I hope will happen in 2026.

Bacon: I don’t know if you approved of Zohran. I’m not… I, you know, you’re not even in New York, but I mean, did you like what you heard during this campaign?

Senator Smith: Oh, sure. Yeah. I mean, I’m a senator from Minnesota, and I don’t usually support other mayoral races, but I’m very excited about, uh, Mamdani.

I think it’s incredibly… I mean, I’m an organizer. I got into politics by working at the grassroots level, going door to door and talking to people about what mattered to them. And the way he’s mobilized voters, the way he’s not afraid to propose big ideas and big solutions to tackle the big challenges New Yorkers face – we have a lot to learn from that.

And, uh, especially when you compare it to the corruption of one Andrew Cuomo – I mean, come on.

But again, what I like about him is that he’s not just anti-Cuomo. He offers something that obviously excited a lot of people.

And we must do more.

Bacon: I guess the question is: what does a transformative idea look like in national politics? Because I think it’s possible – the kind of free buses and free daycare we should do nationally. But I think free buses maybe don’t apply as much to Louisville, or Minneapolis – maybe more so to Minneapolis.

But in terms of, are there other…what does that look like to scale that ambition, but on a national scale?

Senator Smith: Yeah. Well, my friend Chris Murphy says something that I think is really smart. He says that, you know, our policy must be our message.

And, I mean, here’s just one example of that. Because I think we know what the 80 percent of problems are that most Americans care about that we need to come up with real solutions for.

I mean, everyone should have paid for family and medical leave. Okay, so now you could, you could say, you know, paid family and medical leave for everyone and we’re going to provide free child care for everyone.

Or you could say you shouldn’t have to pay more than 7% of your income for child care, and we’re going to pass a law that establishes a sliding scale for child care so you can afford it.

Bacon: All right. It’s good. It’s actually very practical. The Democratic response is usually some kind of tax credit that is very difficult to understand.

Senator Smith: Yes, and we care. You know, we want it to work. We’re actually trying to get government to do what it should be doing, which is improving the lives of Americans, rather than being a tool for consolidating wealth and power in the hands of fewer and fewer people and big corporations.

Bacon: The last thing is… my mom would tell me not to raise people’s ages usually, but I think you’re 67, right?

Senator Smith: It’s true. I’m proud of it.

Bacon: So what’s important about the hearing is that Senator Smith is not running for re-election next year. Her seat is up and she is not running. There is, and there is a real discourse about age and the Democratic Party, and I want to ask you about that. You know, I’m going to give my own bias here.

I think Senator Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith are excellent senators, and I’m glad they’re here and they’re older than me and age in their case is a number. And maybe they, you know, maybe they can’t run marathons or whatever. Maybe you can.

Senator Smith: I don’t know. No, I never could.

Bacon: Yes, but I just think some of our best senators are older.

At the same time, I respect the idea that younger people, or Congress as a whole, might be — as a group — too old, even though I like some older people.

So, I respect your decision. So I want you to talk about what made you successful and what you think about the sort of age problem within the party.

Senator Smith: Well, it’s kind of funny because, you know, people will come up to me – like if I’m walking around the lake in Minneapolis and I’m walking with my husband Archie – and people will come up to me and they’ll say, you know, thank you so much for deciding not to run. I really appreciate it.

And I tell Archie, to be clear, that they like me, it’s just that they appreciated what I was, the step that I’m taking.

And so, I mean, honestly, one of the things about me and my life is that there are so many interesting things to do. There are so many useful things to do. There are so many ways to cause good trouble. I’ll have served nine years in the Senate when I’m done, and I’m thinking about where I want to be when I’m 74 or 75, and I want to do other things.

But, for me, the bottom line is that I look at my state and I see that we have talented, young, progressive leaders who are more than ready to take on this role and take on this fight. And I have a big… I like to think about making room for them. For me, this is part of my legacy as a progressive leader.

But you know, the other thing you say is that it’s not – of course, it’s not just about age. I mean, Graham Platner said that in Maine. It’s not a question of age. It’s about the power of your ideas.

And I mean, I would say that – I would say with anyone – that Bernie and Elizabeth are doing incredibly important work in charting the path forward for their states and for our party nationally.

And so, it’s not so much about age as it is about your willingness to go against and challenge the status quo – to not be part of the establishment. Neither Bernie nor Elizabeth are part of the establishment. And that’s why they are…and the establishment is protecting itself, right? He’s protecting himself, and that’s not what it’s about.

And I think, for me, that’s the difference.

Bacon: But for you, you think it’s important to step down – I mean, in general though, you think that more people in the party, forget, without naming anyone – more senators, more House members should step down after seven, one term, two terms, something like that?

Senator Smith: I mean, the way I look at it is because sometimes I know… I’m not burdened by the idea that I’m the only one who can do this job.

Bacon: All right.

Senator Smith: I can see other people. Now, if you’re trying to win in Ohio and you’re Sherrod Brown – who is a dear friend of mine and a strong advocate for working people – God love him for his willingness to stay in the fight. But this isn’t Minnesota. You know, I’m very excited about the people who might step up.

And so that’s the important predicate of any decision I make about this. And too many people think they’re the only ones. And it’s a bit of a vanity that happens when you’ve been in the Senate for a long time and you think that’s the case.

And again, it’s not just about age. It’s about your willingness to challenge conventional thinking and try to actually bring about the systemic change that needs to be made. I think.

Bacon: All right. Senator Smith, on that point, thank you for coming. Thanks for talking to me.

Senator Smith: Thank you very much, Perry. It’s great to visit you.

Bacon: Good to see you. Bye.