ST. PAUL, Minn - Newly appointed Senator Tina Smith is back home in Minnesota after a whirlwind week in Washington D.C.
Saturday night she held a welcome home celebration at Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul to meet with her biggest supporters.
"We have so much opportunity, but we have so much work to do to make sure that opportunity is broadly shared," Smith told a crowd of supporters.
Smith took over for former Senator Al Franken on Wednesday after being sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence.
She's joining the senate at a turbulent time, which is why she's leaning on colleagues who know their way around Washington D.C.
"Senator Klobuchar has been so supportive," Smith says.
Governor Mark Dayton has also shared plenty of advice, Smith says. He served two terms in the senate and frequently travels to the district.
"This week in Washington was just surreal," Smith says. "It was everything from getting my senate ID card to moving into my apartment, to meeting Senator Franken's staff."
Smith has decided to retain a large portion of Franken's staff. She's hoping their knowledge of the issues will help her hit the ground running.
"I don't want to waste a minute," Smith explains. "There are so many issues Minnesotans expect us to make headway on, even this month."
Smith says her top priorities will be lowering health care costs and also creating more affordable child care options for Minnesota families.
She's also concerned about the growing skills gap in Minnesota.
"One of our greatest challenges is finding the people to fill the jobs our companies are creating here in Minnesota," Smith explains.
During her speech Saturday night Smith brought up the long history of her senate seat, praising senators like Paul Wellstone, Huber Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
She's hoping to make a significant contribution to Minnesota as well, despite only serving an 11 month term in office.
"I'm always an optimist," Smith says. "I believe there's a real opportunity to make headway here."
Smith has already voiced interest in running for the seat once it opens up again in November.