Steve Smith (Arizona)
Steve Smith is a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate, representing District 11 from 2015 to 2019. He did not file to run for re-election in 2018.
Smith was a Republican candidate for Arizona's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House. Smith lost the primary on August 28, 2018.
Smith previously represented District 23 from 2010 until 2013. He previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives, representing District 11 from 2013 to 2015.
Biography
Smith earned his B.A. in marketing from Michigan State University. His professional experience includes running a talent agency.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Arizona committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce and Public Safety, Chair |
| • Education |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Arizona committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Workforce Development, Vice chair |
| • Education |
| • Federalism, Mandates and Fiscal Responsibility |
| • Government |
| • Public Safety, Military and Technology, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Arizona committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility, Vice Chairman |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Reform and Human Services |
| • K-12 School District Receivership Study |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Smith served on these committees:
| Arizona committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Border Security, Federalism and States Sovereignty, Vice Chair |
| • Education |
| • Government Reform |
| • Border Security Advisory |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 1
Incumbent Tom O'Halleran defeated Wendy Rogers in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tom O'Halleran (D) | 53.8 | 143,240 |
 | Wendy Rogers (R) | 46.1 | 122,784 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 65 | ||
| Total votes: 266,089 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 1
Incumbent Tom O'Halleran advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 1 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom O'Halleran | 100.0 | 64,114 |
| Total votes: 64,114 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Miguel Olivas (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 1
Wendy Rogers defeated Steve Smith and Tiffany Shedd in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 1 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wendy Rogers | 43.7 | 30,180 |
 | Steve Smith | 37.0 | 25,552 | |
 | Tiffany Shedd | 19.2 | 13,260 | |
| Total votes: 68,992 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kevin Cavanaugh (R)
Green primary election
No Green candidates ran in the primary.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ray Parrish (G)
2016
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Arizona State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.
Incumbent Steve Smith defeated Ralph Atchue in the Arizona State Senate District 11 general election.[1][2]
| Arizona State Senate, District 11 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Steve Smith Incumbent |
59.56% | 59,475 | |
| Democratic | Ralph Atchue | 40.44% | 40,390 | |
| Total Votes | 99,865 | |||
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||||
Ralph Atchue ran unopposed in the Arizona State Senate District 11 Democratic Primary.[3]
| Arizona State Senate, District 11 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Ralph Atchue (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Steve Smith ran unopposed in the Arizona State Senate District 11 Republican Primary.[4]
| Arizona State Senate, District 11 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Steve Smith Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Arizona State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Jo Holt was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Steve Smith defeated Scott Bartle in the Republican primary. Smith defeated Holt in the general election.[5][6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Smith |
59% | 38,397 | |
| Democratic | Jo Holt | 41% | 26,628 | |
| Total Votes | 65,025 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Steve Smith |
69.9% | 15,956 |
| Scott Bartle | 30.1% | 6,863 |
| Total Votes | 22,819 | |
2012
After redistricting placed him at odds with 26th District senator Al Melvin in the new 11th District, Smith opted not to run for his Senate seat again, instead announcing a run for one of two 11th District House seats.[9] He and Adam Kwasman ran unopposed in the Republican primary on August 28, 2012. He won the general election on November 6, 2012, receiving the most votes.[10][11] The Arizona House employs "bloc with partial abstention" multi-member districts, electing two state representatives per district.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Smith |
36.7% | 44,928 | |
| Republican | Adam Kwasman |
34.1% | 41,732 | |
| Democratic | Dave Joseph | 29.2% | 35,707 | |
| Total Votes | 122,367 | |||
2010
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2010
Smith ran in the 2010 election for Arizona State Senate District 23. He defeated Matt Byers in the August 24 primary election. He then defeated incumbent Democrat Rebecca Rios and Green Party candidate Matthew Shusta in the November 2 general election.[13][14]
| Arizona State Senate, District 23 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Steve Smith (R)
|
34,568 | |||
| Rebecca Rios (D) | 30,361 | |||
| Arizona State Senate, District 23 Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Steve Smith (R)
|
10,818 | |||
| Matt Byers (R) | 3,736 | |||
Campaign themes
2018
The section below was obtained from Smith's 2018 campaign website.[15]
Jobs and the Economy
We know that government does not create jobs, but government can and should create policy to encourage job creation and economic growth. Arizona is now one of America’s most successful states when it comes to job creation thanks to many of the policies that Steve Smith has championed. Lower taxes, less regulation, an improved quality of life, and a stronger education system have all contributed to Arizona’s record of success. The news media loves to bash our great state, but the people of America vote with their feet, and Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the country because of the many improvements we’ve made.
Taxes
Steve has pledged to oppose any increase in taxes and has sponsored and voted for legislation to lower personal and business taxes.
For his efforts, Steve was named ‘Champion of the Taxpayer' by the national fiscal watchdog group Americans for Prosperity, which is their highest designation.
Education
Steve comes from a family of teachers, so advancing education has always been vitally important to him. Steve opposes and has voted against Common Core because he believes local control of education is best and that more resources should be aimed at the classroom.
Steve has sponsored and supported legislation that has helped Arizona lead the nation in school choice and, as a member of the Senate Education committee, Steve authored and introduced the ‘Teachers Performance Pay bill’ in an effort to reward and compensate great teachers. Additionally, Steve has helped increase the K-12 education budget over the past 3 years to record levels.
Steve believes the most important tool to helping our children learn is the quality of the teacher at the head of the classroom, so rewarding great teachers is vital in order to ensure an outstanding education product.
Border Security and Illegal Immigration
Steve is known as one of the toughest fighters in all of Arizona in the effort to stop illegal immigration and to secure the border. This problem affects not only every Arizonan, but every American in that illegals take jobs from Americans, they cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year for healthcare, education, and other social services, and our open border has lead to a tidal wave of drugs, murderers, and gangs.
As the Vice Chairman of the Senate Border Security committee and as a member of the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, Steve authored and introduced many pieces of legislation to help fix this problem, most notably SB1406, which allows Arizona to build its own border fence and do the job the federal government still has failed to do.
Life and Family Values
Steve routinely speaks to the importance of God, Family, and Country, when he campaigns, so it is no surprise that Steve is pro-life and a passionate defender of the most vulnerable in society. Steve also knows that government policies that attack or weaken families must be opposed because they weaken the fabric of this great country. That’s why he has a strong pro-family voting record and has won the Friend of the Family award every year he has been in office.
Gun Rights
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is amazingly simple and perfectly clear when it comes to gun rights:
"…the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
To reiterate, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED! Steve has a 100% voting record in favor of Second Amendment rights, is A+ rated by the NRA and has been endorsed by the Arizona Citizens Defense League in his legislative races.
Native Americans/Rural
For the last 8 years I have worked closely with Arizona's tribes on economic, education, health care, and military issues and will continue to do all I can to maintain a great working partnership with them. I will represent everyone as your Congressman, just as I have in the State Legislature. That also applies to the unique needs that rural Arizona has. Too many politicians think that putting on a pair of cowboy boots for their campaign brochures is good enough. I have actually been a champion for rural Arizona at the state level and you can count on me to do the same at the federal level. I have championed legislation protecting water and property rights that are critical to rural interests, and I was even named Pinal County's Favorite Son for the work I have done on rural issues.
Healthcare
Obamacare has resulted in skyrocketing health insurance premiums and has given way to people losing their jobs or being relegated to part-time work. It has taken the “personal” component from the patient-doctor relationship and severely limited the overall supply of health care options available to consumers. I applaud this Congress for working to remove the crippling effects of the individual mandate; however, more work remains to be done. We need a full repeal of Obamacare. Congress must pass meaningful health care reform to expand Health Savings accounts, allow people to purchase insurance across state lines, and create a system that is more affordable and accessible.
National Debt/Spending
It’s important to note that I fully support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. One of the most dangerous threats we face as a country is our crippling national debt. We are not immune to the laws of financial prudence. Our national debt is currently over 21 trillion dollars, which breaks down to nearly 65,000 dollars per citizen. We cannot continue to live beyond our means, and hence, resort to kicking the can down the road while mortgaging our children’s future. We must be fiscally responsible while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of fully funding our military and efforts to fully secure the border.
Standing with Israel
Historically, the United States and Israel have enjoyed a sacred trust, and our destinies are forever entwined. As a result, we must continue to maintain our credibility by standing with Israel, President Netanyahu, and their unwavering commitment to the institutions of freedom and democracy. The biggest threat to Israel is Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon. We simply cannot allow this to happen. The establishment of long-lasting peace in the region is only possible through a strong US-Israeli relationship. The United States stands ready to initiate a military response to any adversarial foe that seeks to engage in warfare with the nation of Israel.
Limiting Washington's Power
I thoroughly believe in the Jeffersonian principle that government governs best which governs least, and furthermore, giving much of the power back to the States where it rightfully belongs. For the purposes of shrinking the size of the federal government, I’d propose eliminating the following as a bare minimum: the Internal Revenue Service, the Export/Import Bank, and the Renewable Fuel Standard, just to name a few.
In order to properly drain the swamp, we must commit to the endeavor of breaking apart the bloated bureaucracy of Washington.
2014
Smith's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[16]
Border Security / Illegal Immigration
- Excerpt: "As the Vice Chairman of the Senate Border Security committee and as a member of the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, Steve authored and introduced many pieces of legislation to help fix this problem, most notably SB 1406 signed by the Governor that allows Arizona to build its own border fence doing the job the federal government will not do. Rest assured, Steve will continue to lead on this issue to protect the people of Arizona."
Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "We know that the government does not create jobs, but the government can and should create policy to assist in prompting economic freedom and a conducive climate for growth."
Education
- Excerpt: "Steve opposes and has voted against Common Core because he believes local control of education is best and that more resources should be aimed at the classroom."
Abortion/Marriage
- Excerpt: "Steve is one of the most outspoken advocates for the Pro-Life cause, has a 100% Pro-Life voting record, and is endorsed by Arizona Right to Life. In addition, Steve firmly believes in and will always fight for the sanctity of traditional marriage (one man and one woman)."
Taxes
- Excerpt: "Steve has pledged to oppose any increase in taxes and has sponsored and voted for legislation to lower personal and business taxes."
2010
Smith's website highlighted the following issues:[17]
- Jobs
- Excerpt: "...we must provide economic freedom to business owners so that they can grow/expand their product or service and continue to hire more Arizonans."
- Illegal immigration
- Excerpt: "We must immediately secure the border by completing the entire fence/wall and adding the necessary amount of border patrol/troops on the ground to stop the tidal wave of illegal immigrants. This problem directly affects Arizona socially and fiscally and must be addressed once and for all."
- Education
- Excerpt: "With over 200 school districts, there clearly is a tremendous amount of overhead that needs to be delimited and, once eliminated, more money will be available to go where it belongs, to the teachers. "
- Taxes
- Excerpt: "Taxes and regulations need to be cut on both individuals and small businesses in order to promote economic growth. It has been proven time and again that lowering taxes, NOT RAISING TAXES, (especially during a recession) helps restore the economy."
- Energy
- Excerpt: "There is absolutely no reason why Arizona should not be the leaders of the world in solar energy. We need to be at the forefront in solar technology as I believe it would be not only a tremendous source for new jobs but would save an extraordinary amount of money on utility costs to both individuals and businesses."
Medicaid expansion lawsuit
Steve Smith was one of the 36 Republican members of the Arizona State Legislature who signed onto a lawsuit brought by the Goldwater Institute in September 2013 against Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) over the expansion of Medicaid in Arizona under provisions of the Affordable Care Act.[18] Brewer announced her support for Medicaid expansion in Arizona in 2013, and by June of that year the legislature passed a bill expanding Medicaid in the state .[19] In September 2013, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law's implementation. They argued that the law contained a tax, and its implementation under the control of the executive branch violated state laws enforcing the separation of powers.[18] In 2015, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled against the 36 Republican lawmakers and the Goldwater Institute, saying that the law contained an assessment, not a tax. The Arizona Court of Appeals upheld the Superior Court's 2015 ruling on March 16, 2017.[20]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arizona scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the 54th Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 4.
- Legislators' votes are recorded by the Center for Arizona Policy on bills related to family issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2017, the 53rd Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 4.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 52nd Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 11 through May 7.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 52nd Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 12 to April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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|
In 2014, the 51st Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 13 to April 24.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 51st Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 14 to June 14.
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Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Smith's endorsements included the following:[22]
|
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Smith is married and has two children.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Arizona's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
- Arizona State Legislature
- Arizona State Senate
- Arizona Senate Committees
- Arizona state legislative districts
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States House of Representatives
- Official campaign website
- Profile from the Arizona State Senate
- Profile from Open States
- Steve Smith on Facebook
- Campaign contributions via Follow the Money
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "General election ," accessed September 9, 2016
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed November 11, 2016
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Election Information - Primary Candidate List," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Election Information - Primary Candidate List," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Election," May 28, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed September 11, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ Maricopa Monitor, "Party over self: Smith to run for House, clearing way for Melvin," January 31, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2012 Primary candidate list," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Vermont Legislative Research Service, "The Pros and Cons of Multi-Member Districts," accessed July 17, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2010 Primary results," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "General election results," accessed December 13, 2013
- ↑ Steve Smith 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed July 3, 2018
- ↑ Steve Smith AZ, "Issues," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ electstevesmith.com, "Issues," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Arizona Republic, "Goldwater Institute sues over Arizona Medicaid law," September 12, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Arizona Governor, "State of the State Address," January 14, 2013
- ↑ AZCentral, "Court rejects Arizona GOP lawmakers' Medicaid challenge," March 16, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedARA - ↑ Steve Smith AZ, "Endorsements," accessed October 14, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Al Melvin (R) |
Arizona State Senate District 11 2015-2019 |
Succeeded by Venden Leach (R) |
| Preceded by Rebecca Rios |
Arizona State Senate District 23 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Michele Reagan (R) |
