Alan Smith

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Alan Smith

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Iowa

Personal

Birthplace

Davenport, Iowa

Religion

Christian

Profession

Auditor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Alan Smith (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 15. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Alan Smith was born in Davenport, Iowa. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa. Smith's career experience includes working as an auditor. Smith has volunteered for Stevenson Elementary School and has been affiliated with Walking Down Ranch and AARP. He also served as president of Insurance Auditors Association of the West, vice president of the National Society of Insurance Premium Auditors, and president of the Rocky Mountains Insurance Auditors Association.

Elections

2024

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 15

Incumbent Jake Hoffman defeated Alan Smith and Evan Olson in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 15 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Hoffman (R)	63.7	87,580
		Alan Smith (D)	31.9	43,769
		Evan Olson (Independent)	4.4	6,061

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 137,410
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 15

Alan Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 15 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alan Smith	100.0	11,008

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,008
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 15

Incumbent Jake Hoffman advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 15 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Hoffman	100.0	30,095

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,095
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Smith received the following endorsements.

• Contest Every Race

2022

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 15

Jake Hoffman defeated Alan Smith in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 15 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Hoffman (R)	64.8	60,850
		Alan Smith (D)	35.2	33,120

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 93,970
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 15

Alan Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 15 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alan Smith (Write-in)	100.0	1,344

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,344
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 15

Jake Hoffman advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 15 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Hoffman	100.0	30,212

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,212
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Smith's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Alan Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Alan Smith, a retired insurance auditor and dedicated community servant, is running for Arizona State Senate in District 15. Married to Karen 43 years. We have three married sons and four grandchildren. Two of them are our 2 1/2 year old granddaughters. Alan has a history of community involvement—from teaching in local schools to supporting homeless veterans—Alan is committed to enhancing Arizona's education system, safeguarding women’s rights, and ensuring responsible fiscal management. His platform focuses on critical issues like sensible gun laws, sustainable water use, and investing in clean energy, aiming to leave Arizona better than he found it. Learn more about how Alan plans to bring his expertise and integrity to the forefront of Arizona's future.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Alan supports womens’s rights and womens’ reproductive health. When to have a family is the woman’s choice. It is her life, her body and her choice. It is also her choice not to have children.
• Alan promotes strong fully funded public schools. Over 90% of our AZ children attend public schools. Our AZ schools are among the worst funded in the nation. Our state legislature is not doing their job funding our schools. To make matters worse, my opponent has voted to create universal vouchers is defunding our public schools. Using public money for private discriminatory is wrong. This is especially true with the universal money going to our wealthiest zip codes. This is absolutely subsidizing the rich. It is NOT about school choice if tuition is $20,000, the universal voucher is $7,500 and a family has to come up with the other $12,500.
• Gun violence is out of control in the US. The leading cause of death of our children is guns. We need common sense solutions to lower this statistic. We need red flag laws, secure secure laws, ban large magazines, ban armor piercing bullets, make ghost guns illegal, and bring back military weapon sales ban. We need put in place requirements such as: gun safety training, gun licenses, biometric or fingerprint lockout, age limits, universal background checks, require all gun sales or transfers be done through licensed gun dealers, etc. There are already limits on guns, so limitations are not new. I am NOT talking about taking away your guns. We also need to outlaw brass knuckles in AZ. 38 states already do so. Let’s be 39.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Schools, Infrastructure, Renewable Energy, Transportation, Water

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

John Lewis who lived his ideals.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

To Kill a Mockingbird

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, an open mind and transparency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Curiosity to ask why not? And the research skills to search for and find the best reasonable answers to Arizona’s problems.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

My core responsibility is to the people of my district in SE, Mesa, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley. In addition I also will do my best to protect the long term future of Arizona and its natural resources. I am not elected to serve mega corporations nor interests contrary to what is best for Arizona’s long term future.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I left AZ better than I found it.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of John F Kennedy. I was in a 2nd grade classroom.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Handbill delivery door to door for an off brand local gasoline station.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mockingbird

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Atticus Finch

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Here Comes the Sun

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Moving my family multiple times due to career promitions and transfers. Doing so meant less extended family time for my wife and children.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Open minded cooperation doing what is best for our citizens and our state’s long term future.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Water, budget cuts due to inept budget planning by the legislature, money for our aging infrastructure and transportation needs in a growth state, change to renewable energy from fossil fuels and climate change,

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No and that is why I like term limits. We need new ideas and perspectives to move us forward.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

We need to build relationships both in our party and across the aisle. Our country was founded on compromise where not everyone gets all that they want as we move the state forward step by step. These relationships also help us identify our best champions for moving us forward.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

The late great John Lewis who championed civil rights and social justice.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. I want to win this election, win re-election and retire leaving Arizona much better from my service than I find it today.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Sorry, that’s not me.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The Governor needs to be the executive who uses emergency powers. Should there be eggregioys over reach by the eggregioys, the legislature or the people must have tools to stop it.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

School finance update to eliminate the very dated 1980 school finance law.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Save Our Schools Arizona, Nat’l Organization of Women, Everytown, Moms Demand Action, Sierra Club, Stonewall of AZ,

What committees interest you?

Education, Natural Resources, Human and Health Services

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I am in agreement with our current initiative process with just a couple changes. 1) Require a 60% threshold in the legislature to refer initiatives to the ballot and 2) Allow on-line petition signatures.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Alan Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Arizona voters, more than ever, need to pull together and get our personal priorities made law. We must support our public schools, community colleges, women’s rights, common sense gun legislation, mail-in voting, water planning & conservation, social justice and many other priorities you & I support. Locally, we have a candidate to do that--Alan Smith. Alan Smith is a Write-in candidate in the Democratic primary for State Senate in Legislative District 15. In order for Alan to be a named candidate in the November general election, Alan needs your write-in vote to meet a 488 vote threshold. Please tell your friends and neighbors. Write-in: Alan Smith for State Senate in your new LD15. Thank you.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Support our public schools. This is where my children went to school, where I went to school and most likely where your children go to school. Our AZ state funding is one of the worse in the country yet my opponent in the November election supports voucher give-a-ways to private & religious schools under the false pretext of "school choice."
• Women's reproductive privacy rights. Women must be allowed to make their own decisions about their bodies and their futures. Women and men must have access to birth control.
• Common sense gun legislation. My opponent in the general eleection voted to allow teachers to be armed in the classroom.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Social injustice affects all parts of our society. All Arizonan's do not have equal access to outstanding schools, great neighborhood parks, playgrounds, swimming pools healthcare, mental health care, jobs, good streets, grocery stores, retail, etc. Poorer neighborhoods even lack shade. Any deficiencies in these public amenities affect those that live in the area. We must strive for social justice to give everybody equal opportunities in their own neighborhoods.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event I remember happened when I was 9 years old, the assassination of Pres John F Kennedy. This was a crazy time with the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, his killer shortly after on live tv. This was a kind of turning point for media with tv being a winner over the published word in newspapers. Bringing this to today, social media is now the winner over tv. Social media disseminates info almost immediately, but many times without context. It is our responsibility to seek the truth and further "build our imperfect union" through compromise.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Alan Smith campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Arizona State Senate District 15	Lost general	$53,052	$49,783
2022	Arizona State Senate District 15	Lost general	$7,202	$6,074
Grand total			$60,253	$55,857
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Arizona State Senate District 15

Website

Twitter

Personal

Facebook

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Arizona State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Warren Petersen

Majority Leader:Janae Shamp

Minority Leader:Priya Sundareshan

Senators

District 1

Mark Finchem (R)

District 2

Shawnna Bolick (R)

District 3

John Kavanagh (R)

District 4

Carine Werner (R)

District 5

Lela Alston (D)

District 6

Theresa Hatathlie (D)

District 7

Wendy Rogers (R)

District 8

Lauren Kuby (D)

District 9

Kiana Sears (D)

District 10

David Farnsworth (R)

District 11

Catherine Miranda (D)

District 12

Denise Epstein (D)

District 13

Javan Mesnard (R)

District 14

Warren Petersen (R)

District 15

Jake Hoffman (R)

District 16

Thomas Shope (R)

District 17

Vince Leach (R)

District 18

Priya Sundareshan (D)

District 19

David Gowan (R)

District 20

Sally Gonzales (D)

District 21

Rosanna Gabaldón (D)

District 22

Eva Diaz (D)

District 23

Brian Fernandez (D)

District 24

Analise Ortiz (D)

District 25

Tim Dunn (R)

District 26

Flavio Bravo (D)

District 27

Kevin Payne (R)

District 28

Frank Carroll (R)

District 29

Janae Shamp (R)

District 30

Hildy Angius (R)

Republican Party (17)

Democratic Party (13)