'(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. 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 and completed a
law degree at the
University of Washington in
1990.
Political Action
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.
Smith is a member of the
House Armed Services Committee and the
House International Relations Committee. 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 66.5% of the vote to Cofchin's 33.4%.
[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 also voted against the
Protect America Act of 2007, which has been criticized for violating American citizen's civil liberties by allowing for wiretapping without issued warrants.
[3]
Trivia
★ ''On June 7th, 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.
Sources
★ ''The Almanac of American Politics 2004''. Washington, D.C.: National Journal, 2003.
See also
★
Washington United States House elections, 2006
External links
★
U.S. Congressman Adam Smith 'official House site'
★
★
Federal Election Commission — D Adam Smith campaign finance reports and data
★
On the Issues — David Adam Smith issue positions and quotes
★
OpenSecrets.org — Adam Smith campaign contributions
★
Project Vote Smart — Representative Adam Smith (WA) profile
★
SourceWatch Congresspedia — Adam Smith profile
★
Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Adam Smith voting record
★
Adam Smith for U.S. Congress 'official campaign site'
★
Letter to Dick Clarke October 23, 2002