Former Minnesota DFL legislator Melisa López Franzen has announced she will run for the U.S. Senate seat set to be vacated by Sen. Tina Smith.
López Franzen made the announcement on her social media accounts on Monday morning, coming just a few weeks after it was announced she would be leaving the University of Minnesota, for whom she has been in charge of lobbying efforts at the State Capitol since August 2023.
“I’m a mother, small business owner, UMN alum and former State Senate Leader,” she said. “Minnesota deserves a champion who will fight fearlessly, tell the truth, never back down, and bring normalcy and common sense back to Washington.”…