Adam Smith (politician)

For other people named Adam Smith, see Adam Smith (disambiguation).

For other people named David Smith, see David Smith (disambiguation).

Adam Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 9th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Randy Tate
Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Howard McKeon
Personal details
Born	June 15, 1965 (1965-06-15) Washington, D.C.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Sara Smith
Residence	Tacoma, Washington
Alma mater	Fordham University, University of Washington
Occupation	attorney
Religion	Episcopalian

David Adam Smith (born June 15, 1965), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing Washington's 9th congressional district.

Biography

Born in Washington, D.C., Smith was raised in the Sea-Tac area of Washington State. Smith attended Bow Lake Elementary and Chinook Middle School, before graduating from Tyee High School in 1983. His father, who worked for United Airlines and was active in the Machinists' Union, died when Smith was 19.

Smith attended Western Washington University in Bellingham for a year, later graduating from Fordham University in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He completed a law degree at the University of Washington in 1990. He worked his way through college by loading trucks for United Parcel Service. After law school, Smith worked as a private practice attorney with Cromwell, Mendozza, and Belur. From 1993 to 1995, he served as a prosecutor for the city of Seattle. In 1996, he worked temporarily as a pro tem judge.

Politics

Smith served in the Washington State Senate from 1991 to 1996. He was just twenty-five years old at the time of his election in 1990, defeating a 16 year incumbent Republican to become the youngest State Senator in the country. Smith won his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 by defeating another incumbent Republican, religious conservative Randy Tate. Smith hasn't faced serious opposition since, and has turned what was originally drawn as a "fair fight" district into a fairly safe Democratic seat.

Adam Smith and Barack Obama at a campaign rally at Seattle's KeyArena, 8 Feb 2008.

He has been a leader in moderate, "New Democrat" organizations. He serves as the chair of the political action committee of the New Democrat Coalition.

On October 10, 2002, Adam Smith was among the 81 Democratic members of the House voting in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.

In 2006, Smith won his sixth term in Congress. His opponent was Republican Steve Cofchin. Smith won 65.7% of the vote to Cofchin's 34.3%.

In April 2007, Smith threw his support behind Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Presidential Election. He has also appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews speaking for Obama.

Smith voted against the Protect America Act of 2007, which has been criticized for violating American citizens' civil liberties by allowing for wiretapping without issued warrants.

In 2008, Smith won a seventh term in the House by defeating James Postma, a 74-year-old retired engineer running on a pro-nuclear power platform, with 65% of the vote.

On December 16, 2010, Smith defeated Silvestre Reyes and Loretta Sanchez to become the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee after Chairman Ike Skelton was defeated for re-election. In the first round, Sanchez and Smith earned 64 votes with Reyes earning 53. In the runoff, Smith defeated Sanchez by 11 votes.

In 2011, recognized for his work in fighting global poverty, Smith became only the second member of Congress selected to the Borgen Project's Board of Directors.

In 2012, Smith cosponsored the National Defense Authorization Bill that would grant the President of the United States unprecedented powers to wage war freely against persons abroad and detaining and restricting access to the civil court system by persons suspected of terrorism. The detention provisions of the Act have received critical attention by, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and media sources which raise concerns about the scope of the President's authority, including contentions that those who may be held indefinitely could include U.S. citizens arrested on American soil, including arrests by members of the Armed Forces.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services (Ranking Member)
  • As the ranking member on the committee, Rep. Smith may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommitees.

Caucus memberships

• 21st Century Healthcare Caucus
• European Union Caucus
• Goods Movement Caucus
• Intellectual Property Caucus (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Waterways Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus

See also

• Washington United States House elections, 2006

Sources

• The Almanac of American Politics 2004. Washington, D.C.: National Journal, 2003.

External links

• Congressman Adam Smith official U.S. House website
• Adam Smith for U.S. Congress official campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• John Adams Interview with The Young Turks
• Letter to Dick Clarke October 23, 2002

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Randy Tate	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 9th congressional district 1997–Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by John Shimkus R-Illinois	United States Representatives by seniority 137th	Succeeded by John Tierney D-Massachusetts