Larry Smith (Tennessee)

Larry Smith (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 6, 2020. Smith unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on August 6, 2020.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2020

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Diana Harshbarger defeated Blair Walsingham, Steve Holder, and Josh Berger in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger (R)	74.7	228,181
		Blair Walsingham (D)	22.5	68,617
		Steve Holder (Independent)	2.8	8,621
	Submit photo	Josh Berger (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 305,423
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Blair Walsingham defeated Chris Rowe (Unofficially withdrew) and Larry Smith (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Blair Walsingham	52.7	6,076
		Chris Rowe (Unofficially withdrew)	33.6	3,869
	Submit photo	Larry Smith (Unofficially withdrew)	13.6	1,572
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	3

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,520
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger	19.2	18,074
		Timothy Hill	16.7	15,731
		Rusty Crowe	16.1	15,179
		Josh Gapp	14.2	13,379
	Submit photo	Steve Darden	12.4	11,647
		John Clark	9.4	8,826
		David Hawk	5.0	4,717
		Nichole Williams	3.0	2,803
		Jay Adkins	1.7	1,635
	Submit photo	Carter Quillen	0.9	853
	Submit photo	Richard Baker	0.3	298
		Chad Fleenor (Unofficially withdrew)	0.3	282
		Phil Arlinghaus	0.3	274
	Submit photo	Robert Franklin	0.2	229
	Submit photo	Chuck Miller	0.2	189
		Chance Cansler	0.2	147

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,263
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Larry Smith

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a historian and an educator who has been studying the modern world for the past 30 years. I have lived in the South all of my life. I am interested in giving the people of East Tennessee a real progressive choice in 2020, which they have not had in the past.. I want to represent ordinary, working Americans who have been left behind by our current system. My policies are based on reversing the disastrous neoliberal/globalist policies that have been in place since the late 1970s. I believe in real democracy and that included economic democracy. I am appalled at how the elites in both political parties for the past 40 years have destroyed or muted the labor unions, regulations, privacy safeguards, and small businesses that had provided many Americans with a strong standard of living since the era of the New Deal in favor of subsidizing multinational corporations and the military industrial complex.. This, as well as the President's and the political right's racist and xenophobic scapegoating of marginalized communities in response to our current crisis is what led me to enter this race. Phil Roe, our current representative will never be anything but a rubber stamp for corporate America, especially the insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital companies. I have been married for 26 years and have an 11 year old son. The policies I support are designed to help families of every kind to be able to survive and even flourish in modern America. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I support the comprehensive, single-payer Medicare for All that will cover every American and provide lasting stability to the our healthcare system. It is the only way to eliminate the greed and corruption of the insurance, pharmaceutical, and hospital industries that have made our system the most dysfunctional of any wealthy country. Medicare for All would provide universal coverage, cover all medical procedures with no cost at he point of service, and provide payroll exemptions for small business owners. Most studies show that it would provide a net savings over our current system which is expensive and does not cover everyone.

I support an end to interventionist wars and an overall reduction in military spending. This is an issue of morality as well as fiscal responsibility. The purpose of the U.S. military should be to protect American citizens, not promoting the interests of multinational corporations in the Middle East, Latin America, and elsewhere. This has been disastrous for our own soldiers (who we then fail to support once they return home) and for these who are designated enemy combatants as well as civilians around the world. The United States spends more money on its military than the next ten nations combined. We need to defend our democracy against the Military Industrial Complex that President Eisenhower warned us about almost 60 years ago.

According to climate scientists, there is no more time for half-measures when it comes to protecting our environment. Without major updates to our nation's transportation, food production, manufacturing and energy infrastructure, we are headed towards a climate catastrophe. The good news is that our strongest plan to respond to the climate crisis will also help the American economy recover from decades of failed neoliberal economic policy. The Green New Deal's community-oriented development approach provides us with the most comprehensive legislative framework for a "just transition" to a sustainable economy that will build community wealth through the investment and development of living local & regional economies here at home.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 in 2020.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

Larry Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. 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.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a historian and an educator who has been studying the modern world for the past 30 years. I have lived in the South all of my life. I am interested in giving the people of East Tennessee a real progressive choice in 2020, which they have not had in the past.. I want to represent ordinary, working Americans who have been left behind by our current system. My policies are based on reversing the disastrous neoliberal/globalist policies that have been in place since the late 1970s. I believe in real democracy and that included economic democracy. I am appalled at how the elites in both political parties for the past 40 years have destroyed or muted the labor unions, regulations, privacy safeguards, and small businesses that had provided many Americans with a strong standard of living since the era of the New Deal in favor of subsidizing multinational corporations and the military industrial complex.. This, as well as the President's and the political right's racist and xenophobic scapegoating of marginalized communities in response to our current crisis is what led me to enter this race. Phil Roe, our current representative will never be anything but a rubber stamp for corporate America, especially the insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital companies. I have been married for 26 years and have an 11 year old son. The policies I support are designed to help families of every kind to be able to survive and even flourish in modern America.

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?

I support the comprehensive, single-payer Medicare for All that will cover every American and provide lasting stability to the our healthcare system. It is the only way to eliminate the greed and corruption of the insurance, pharmaceutical, and hospital industries that have made our system the most dysfunctional of any wealthy country. Medicare for All would provide universal coverage, cover all medical procedures with no cost at he point of service, and provide payroll exemptions for small business owners. Most studies show that it would provide a net savings over our current system which is expensive and does not cover everyone.
I support an end to interventionist wars and an overall reduction in military spending. This is an issue of morality as well as fiscal responsibility. The purpose of the U.S. military should be to protect American citizens, not promoting the interests of multinational corporations in the Middle East, Latin America, and elsewhere. This has been disastrous for our own soldiers (who we then fail to support once they return home) and for these who are designated enemy combatants as well as civilians around the world. The United States spends more money on its military than the next ten nations combined. We need to defend our democracy against the Military Industrial Complex that President Eisenhower warned us about almost 60 years ago.
According to climate scientists, there is no more time for half-measures when it comes to protecting our environment. Without major updates to our nation's transportation, food production, manufacturing and energy infrastructure, we are headed towards a climate catastrophe. The good news is that our strongest plan to respond to the climate crisis will also help the American economy recover from decades of failed neoliberal economic policy. The Green New Deal's community-oriented development approach provides us with the most comprehensive legislative framework for a "just transition" to a sustainable economy that will build community wealth through the investment and development of living local & regional economies here at home.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about helping ordinary Americans who have been left behind by our current economic system. I am interested in fighting for healthcare through Medicare for All. I am interested in fighting to end our interventionist wars that kill American soldiers and people around the world while enriching defense contractors and subsidiary corporations return almost none of this to the national economy. I am passionate about fighting against the greed of the elites in this country who control almost all of the wealth but do not provide jobs that they claim to, and by hording this wealth, create a system that will never provide sustained economic growth. I would work for higher income, estate, and wealth taxes as well as medical and student debt elimination that would put money back into the economy while providing relief for those in distress. I am also interested in criminal justice reform that would end mass incarceration, private prisons, and the systemic racism that has disproportionately affected communities of color. I am also passionate about providing safeguards for all marginalized communities, including both documented and undocumented immigrants. Our problems in the United States stem from the corruption and greed of those at the top, not those among us with the least power and agency.

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

I would recommend everyone read "1984" by George Orwell. While this is fiction, it correctly predicted the situation in which we now find ourselves as a people. Orwell wrote of problems of a state that is too powerful and unaccountable to anyone. Our government today--through our elected officials--is controlled by an invisible hand of corporate tyranny. We will never be truly free until we take power back from these powerful entities and fill that vacuum with an actual functioning democracy.

Orwell also spoke of constant warfare against vague, ill-defined enemies that kept the "party" powerful and everyone else weak. The hatred of the people against these imagined enemies also solidified its power. How different is this from our "War on Drugs" and "War on Terror" and "War against Evil" that have defined us as a nation since the 1980s.

Orwell also wrote about propaganda that was spread by the party through its media outlet, ironically named The Ministry of Truth. We are facing similar threats with our corporate media's selective journalism, obfuscations, and outright lies. We also have a president that has attempted to redefine reality in a way reminiscent of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows." (George Orwell, "1984")

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

I have been studying the modern world for the past 30 years as a professional historian. I understand the complexities of American and world history and political development. I can use that insight to best choose policies that will enhance the lives of ordinary Americans.

My academic background has made professionalism a high priority in my life. It has also promoted a rational philosophy based on the idea of doing what I discern to be right regardless of how it would affect my political career. that is why I do not take contributions from corporations, Super Pacs, or other special interests. If you send me to Washington, I will only be beholden to ordinary, working Americans.

I also believe that honesty and truthfulness is the highest quality that a representative can have. When I state a position, I will not change it unless substantial evidence is introduced that I have an incorrect position. I think that politicians can evolve on issues over time, but I am suspicious of anyone who formulates their positions on what is popular at the time or to the audience they are speaking to at the time. You will find this to be the case if you follow my campaign.

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

I remember the moon landing in 1969. I was only five, but I still remember watching the live broadcasts. I have always been passionate about space exploration. My 11-year old son is now interested in science and space and has urged me to make increased funding for NASA part of my platform. I happily agree to support that now.

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

I'm a fan of many musical genres. Probably my favorites are traditional country and the outlaw/Americana sound. I am a big fan of Willie Nelson. One of the songs that often get stuck in my head is Willie's version of the Rodney Crowell song " "Till I Gain Control Again." It's about going through the struggles of life and asking those who love you to please be patient while you try to figure everything out. I loved that song when I was younger, but I understand it much more as I have grown older. When certain events happen to me, that song usually comes comes to mind. I recommend everyone who knows it, to stop an pay particular attention to the lyrics.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think it is more important for representatives to understand the complexities of the issues facing our nation today rather than actually having served in a political office. There are many members of Congress who have served for most of their lives in one political office or another yet still don't seem to understand policies that would help working Americans.

I do think a representative should understand the history of this nation and the Constitution to best serve their constituents. Believing in the right issues is the most important think for a representative. The machinery of the office can be learned more easily than can a coherent political philosophy.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest challenge for the United States is to overturn the failed neoliberal/globalist policies of the last 40 years. Until we break the power of the banks and corporations and give the power to the people, we will never have actual democracy in this country.

Not less important, is the fight against climate change. We must fight this as if we are fighting a war and mobilize the entire society as we did during the Great Depression and the Second World War. The side effect of this will be good jobs rebuilding our infrastructure and moving away from fossil fuels to green technology before it is too late for the planet.

We also have to fix our dysfunctional healthcare system through a single-payer plan such as Medicare for All.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

i do not support term limits for members of Congress. I believe that term limits are a bad solution to a real problem--money in politics. Under our present system a representative who works for corporate America and "buys" elections would most likely be replaced by someone with similar ideas who would just pick up the money stream left by the previous office holder.

I believe that the person with the best ideas, not the most money, should represent the people. If we are going to change the Constitution--as you would have to do to initiate term limits--we might as well pass an amendment that would overturn Citizens United and replace our current system with federally financed elections. That way the person with the best ideas could be elected, and if that person was doing the work of the people, I would not want to see them "termed out." If they were not doing the will of the people, they would be removed in the next election cycle.

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.

External links

Footnotes

[show]

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)

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Larry Smith (Tennessee)

Contents

Elections

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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