Adam Smith (politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Adam Smith
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Randy Tate |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born | June 15, 1965 Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | 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.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Washington, D.C., Smith was raised in the Sea-Tac area of Washington State. Smith graduated from Tyee High School in 1983. His father, who worked for United Airlines and was active in the Machinists' Union, died when Smith was 17.
Smith graduated from Fordham University in 1987 with a bachelor's degree. He completed a law degree at the University of Washington in 1990. He worked his way through college via employment on a loading dock at a trucking company. After college, Smith spent two years as a private practice attorney with Cromwell, Mendozza, and Belur. From 1993 to 1995, he worked for the city of Seattle as a prosecutor. In 1996, he worked temporarily as a pro tem judge.
[edit] 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, defeating an incumbent Republican to become the youngest State Senator in the country. He 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.
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%.[1]
In April 2007, Smith threw his support behind Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Presidential Election.[2] 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.[3]
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. [4]
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Trivia
 |
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (February 2008) |
- On June 7, 2007, Smith was featured on Stephen Colbert's "Better Know a District" series, where he did not confirm or deny the existence of shrink rays in the military, but confirmed that time travel technology is not yet available in the United States.
[edit] Sources
- The Almanac of American Politics 2004. Washington, D.C.: National Journal, 2003.
[edit] See also
[edit] 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
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- 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 |
|
||||||||||||||
