Former Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D) was sworn in on Wednesday to fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenPeterson faces fight of his career in deep-red Minnesota district Getting tight — the psychology of cancel culture Tina Smith wins Democratic Senate primary in Minnesota MORE (D).

Vice President Pence administered the oath to Smith from the Senate floor, with former Vice President Walter Mondale, Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharEPA delivers win for ethanol industry angered by waivers to refiners It's time for newspapers to stop endorsing presidential candidates Biden marks anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, knocks Trump and McConnell MORE (D-Minn.) and Senate Democratic leadership looking on from the chamber.

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Pence and Smith took part in a mock swearing-in from the old Senate chamber.

The Senate also swore in Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who won last month’s special election to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE’s old seat.

“I’d like to extend a particular welcome to our two new senators who were just sworn in,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled McConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security Warren, Schumer introduce plan for next president to cancel ,000 in student debt MORE (R-Ky.) said later from the Senate floor.

Smith was appointed to the Minnesota seat last month after Franken said he would resign following several allegations of sexual harassment and groping.

Franken announced during a defiant Dec. 7 floor speech that he would step down after pressure grew for him to resign over the accusations. He formally submitted his letter to Democratic Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday.

“I am grateful to Minnesotans for giving me the chance to serve our state and our nation, and I am proud to have worked on their behalf,” Franken wrote in the resignation letter.

Franken’s resignation sparks a special election set for 2018 for the final two years of his Senate term.

Smith, who some observers had speculated would be a caretaker, had said she plans to run in the 2018 election.

A second election will take place in 2020 for a full six-year term.

Dayton announced that he was selecting Smith last month, marking the first time Minnesota has been represented by two female senators.

Smith, who served as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor for roughly three years, brings the total number of female senators in the Senate up to 22 — a record for the upper chamber.

Four states — Minnesota, California, New Hampshire and Washington — now have two female senators.