Former Lt. Governor Tina Smith will be sworn in as U-S Senator for Minnesota later this morning (11am). Smith says she plans to hit the ground running and “in this role want to continue to be a fierce advocate for Minnesotans especially around economic opportunity and fairness. As Lt. Governor I worked hard on issues like tax fairness and lowering healthcare costs and early education.” Smith says she wants Minnesotans to know she’ll be a good listener and she’ll look for common ground while in Washington. Smith says she plans to run to retain the seat in 2018. Here’s MNN’s Scott Peterson’s chat with Senator Smith.