Jeff Smith (Wisconsin politician)

Jeffrey E. "Jeff" Smith (born March 15, 1955) is a small-business operator and politician from Eau Claire, Wisconsin who served as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2007 to 2011, representing the 93rd Assembly District. Smith was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate during the 2018 midterm elections, representing District 31.

Jeff Smith
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 31st District
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Preceded byKathleen Vinehout
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 93rd Assembly district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byRobin Kreibich
Succeeded byWarren Petryk
Personal details
Born (1955-03-15) March 15, 1955
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Susan
ResidenceEau Claire, Wisconsin
Alma materNorth High School
OccupationFormer small business owner

Early life

Smith graduated from North High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and then ran his father's window-cleaning company, which he subsequently sold.

Political career

Smith served on the town board for the Town of Brunswick and was chair of the board. He founded the Parent Advisory Committee for the Eau Claire School District. Because of that work, he was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to serve on the Task Force on Educational Excellence in 2003.[1] Smith also served as the co-chair of the Eau Claire County Democratic Party. He is a member of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

Smith was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2006, unseating the Republican incumbent Robin Kreibich.[2] He was the chair of the Elections and Campaign Reform Committee and a member of five other committees: Colleges and Universities, Financial Institutions, Education, Renewable Energy and Rural Affairs, and Public Safety.[2]

Smith sponsored Assembly Bill 119, which established five-year-old Kindergarten as a prerequisite to first grade in public and charter schools; Assembly Bill 250, which created licensing requirements for dog sellers and animal shelters, and Assembly Bill 276, which divided the UW System Board of Regents into seven geographical districts.

Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2008, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Smith a grade of C (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F). Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to the AFL-CIO, Smith received a rating of 100. NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin gave Smith a rating of one-hundred percent on abortion-related issues.[3] In 2010, Smith earned a 100% rating from the Wisconsin League of Conservation voters.[4]

In February 2010, Smith received a Humane State Legislator award from The Humane Society of the United States, which.recognized him for his efforts to pass The Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, which regulates large-scale puppy breeding operations, commonly referred to as "puppy mills."

2010 election

On November 2, 2010, Smith was narrowly defeated for reelection by Republican Warren Petryk.[5][6]

After losing re-election, Smith took a three-month position as a registered lobbyist for the Humane Society of Wisconsin to promote the enactment of Dog Breeder's Regulation bill or "Puppy Mill bill", Act 90, which was passed unanimously by the legislature.[7]

2012 election

On November 6, 2012, Smith ran for his former seat and was defeated again by Petryk.[8]

In 2013, he was hired as the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's regional political director for northwestern Wisconsin.[9]

2014 election

On November 4, 2014, Smith again ran for his former seat and was again defeated by Petryk.[10]

Democratic party chair candidacy

In 2015, Smith was a candidate for chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW), facing Jason Rae, Martha Laning, Joe Wineke, and Stephen Smith. If elected DPW Chair, Smith said he’d make it a priority to engage county parties and empower them to be more proactive.

During the campaign, Smith's campaign penned a letter that criticized Laning for her lack of experience and offered her the post of DPW Executive Director if Smith were to be elected chair.[11] Laning publicly stated that she had refused Smith’s offer and criticized Smith for mentioning the offer in campaign literature, which she referred to as "sexist."[12][13][14] Shortly after the letter controversy, Smith wrote an open letter dropping out of the race and asking his supporters to support Laning.

Smith now works for Citizen Action of Wisconsin as the organizer for the Western Cooperative.[15]

2018 Senate election

In March 2018, Smith announced his run for the Wisconsin State Senate representing District 31, a seat currently held by Gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Vinehout.[16] Smith won a three-way Democratic primary on August 14th with 50% of the vote.[17] On November 6, he was elected to the seat, defeating Republican Mel Pittman and Green Party candidate Aaron Camacho.[18]

References
  1. "Wispolitics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  2. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (comp.). State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book. Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2009, p. 81.
  3. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=51946
  4. "League of Conservation Voters Scorecard 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  5. http://www.legis.state.wi.us/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=assembly&district=93
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-11-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Wis. Federated Humane Societies ask Jeff Smith to finish work he began". Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  8. http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Wisconsin_State_Assembly_elections,_2012
  9. http://www.chippewademocrats.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/1396888
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?u=a1cad923c938cf6db2dfe7cfe&id=d30a2508fe
  12. https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?u=37c721503522bfa7e4ead88ed&id=84823aab45&e=f269795abb
  13. http://archive.jsonline.com/newswatch/306207441.html
  14. Opoien, Jessie (6 June 2015). "Wisconsin Democrats elect Martha Laning as party chairwoman". The Cap Times. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. "Staff". Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  16. "Together With Jeff Smith". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  17. WEAU. "WEAU 13 News | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | August 2018 Election". www.weau.com. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  18. WQOW Staff. "Jeff Smith defeats two other candidates for District 31 Senate seat" WQOW-TV November 6, 2018


Preceded by
Robin Kreibich		 Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 93rd District
2006 – 2011		 Succeeded by
Warren Petryk
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