Harri Anne Smith
| Harri Anne Smith | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Alabama Senate from the 29th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1998 |
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| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican (1998-2010) Independent (2010-present) |
| Spouse(s) | Charles |
| Profession | Banker |
| Religion | Baptist |
Harri Anne Smith is a Independent member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 29th District since 1998. She has been elected to three terms in the State Senate and is also a former mayor of her hometown of Slocomb, in the Wiregrass region. She has a bachelors degree in Business Administration from Troy University. She started her political career in 1989 as an appointed member of the Slocomb City Council. She was then elected to the Slocomb city council (non-partisan), elected Slocomb mayor in 1996, then to the Alabama State Senate in 1998.
Smith ran in the Republican primary for Alabama's 2nd congressional district in 2008, losing to State Representative Jay Love. Afterwards, she endorsed the Democratic nominee, Bobby Bright--a decision which nearly got her expelled from the Geneva County Republican Executive Committee.[1]
The state Republican Party barred her from filing for reelection as a Republican in 2010; her endorsement of Bright violated a state party bylaw which bars an elected Republican from endorsing a candidate from another party when a Republican is running. However, in June she garnered enough signatures in her district to run as an independent.[2] A month before the election, she was indicted on federal charges of bribery and corruption.[3] Nonetheless, she was handily reelected, defeating Republican challenger George Flowers with 56 percent of the vote.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ WTVY-Dothan, AL "Geneva County GOP Group Decides on Senator Smith's Membership"
- ^ Grace, Lila. Senator Harri Anne Smith Approved To Run As Independent. WDHN, 2010-06-16.
- ^ 11 charged in Alabama federal corruption case. CNN, 2010-10-04.
- ^ Griffin, Lance. Smith goes back in as independent in Senate 29. The Dothan Eagle, 2010-11-02.
[edit] External links
- Alabama State Legislature - Senator Harri Anne Smith official government website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Harri Anne Smith (AL) profile
- Follow the Money - Harri Anne Smith
- News Release On Senator Smith's Bright Endorsement from the ALGOP
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