Jim Smith, Indiana politician
Jim Smith is a former Republican member of the Indiana State Senate, representing District 45 from 2010 to 2018. He previously served on the Clark County Council.
Biography
Smith earned his B.A. and M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Louisville. His professional experience includes working as a personal and small business financial consultant.
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Indiana committee assignments, 2017 |
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| • Local Government |
| • Pensions and Labor |
| • Tax and Fiscal Policy |
2016 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Indiana committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Judiciary, Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Corrections and Criminal Law |
| • Ethics |
| • Insurance and Financial Institutions |
| • Natural Resources |
| • Rules and Legislative Procedure |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Indiana committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Local Government |
| • Pensions and Labor |
| • Tax and Fiscal Policy |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Indiana committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Commerce, Economic Development and Technology |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Insurance |
| • Local Government |
| • Tax and Fiscal Policy |
Campaign themes
2014
Smith's website emphasized the following campaign themes:[1]
Jobs and Economic Development
- Excerpt: "Government should get out of the way and let Hoosiers build, grow and expand their businesses. A small business owner, Jim has led the charge to reduce burdensome regulations and taxes that stifle job creation and has been recognized for his pro-jobs voting record."
Agriculture
- Excerpt: "Jim Smith knows agriculture is a crucial component of the Indiana economy and he is committed to protecting our state’s rich agricultural heritage through programs that encourage good stewardship of our natural resources and through meaningful, permanent reforms to our tax and regulatory structure to make sure Indiana farmers are treated equitably."
Protecting your Tax Dollars
- Excerpt: "Jim Smith knows it is vitally important that we continue to pass balanced budgets, control spending and keep taxes low so hard-working Hoosiers can keep more of their hard-earned tax dollars. He firmly believes government should only ask its citizens for the minimum necessary to provide essential services – and not one dollar more."
Education
- Excerpt: "Jim Smith knows Indiana’s future and the future of our children depends on having quality educational opportunities that meet the unique needs of today’s workforce. He supports giving parents the freedom to choose the best education for their children and is working to make sure we have the best standards for our students while making sure we don’t eliminate local control of our schools."
Health Care
- Excerpt: "Jim has helped lead the charge against the federal takeover of our health care system. As an alternative, he supports the expansion of the Healthy Indiana Plan, a proven, consumer-driven alternative that replaces traditional Medicaid in Indiana and provides low-income Hoosiers with an opportunity to participate in a health coverage program that is grounded in personal responsibility and consumerism."
Elections
2014
- See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Indiana State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 7, 2014. Julie Berry was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Jim Smith was unopposed in the Republican primary. Smith defeated Berry in the general election.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Jim Smith Incumbent |
53.8% | 19,827 | |
| Democratic | Julie Berry | 46.2% | 16,994 | |
| Total Votes | 36,821 | |||
2010
- See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2010
Smith defeated Democratic incumbent James Lewis by a margin of 22,299 to 20,494 in the November 2 general election.[4]
In the May 4 primary election, Smith ran unopposed.[5]
| Indiana State Senate, District 45 General Election 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jim Smith (R)
|
22,299 | 52.1% | ||
| James Lewis (D) | 20,494 | 47.9% | ||
| Indiana State Senate, District 45 - Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jim Smith
|
100% | |||
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.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Smith has a wife, Brenda Faye.
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 Indiana scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 2 through March 16.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on whether they supported or opposed IMA's position on a bill.
- 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 Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 3 through April 22.
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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 Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 5 through March 10.
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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 Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 6 through April 29.
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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 Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 6 through March 14.
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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 Indiana General Assembly was in session from January 7 through April 29.
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jim + Smith + Indiana + Senate
See also
- Indiana State Legislature
- Indiana State Senate
- Indiana Senate Committees
- Indiana state legislative districts
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ jimsmithforsenate.com, "Issues," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "2010 Indiana State Senate Official General Election Results," accessed March 6, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed March 6, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Lewis |
Indiana Senate District 45 2010-2018 |
Succeeded by Chris Garten |
