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Robert Smith (West Virginia)

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

Mountain Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Associate

Allegany College of Maryland, 2017

Personal
Birthplace
Frederick, Md.
Profession
Communication specialist
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Robert Smith (Mountain Party) ran for election to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 59. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Smith was born in Frederick, Maryland. He earned an associate degree from the Allegany College of Maryland in 2017. As of his 2020 campaign, Smith was attending Western Governor's University for his bachelor's degree. His career experience includes working as a communications specialist. He is also the communications lead for the Mountain Party of West Virginia and the lead organizer of the Eastern Panhandle Mountain Party.[1]

Smith has been affiliated with the following organization:[1]

  • WV Can't Wait

Elections

2020

See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2020

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59

Ken Reed defeated Patricia Adams and Robert Smith in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Reed
Ken Reed (R)
 
71.5
 
7,338
Image of Patricia Adams
Patricia Adams (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
16.1
 
1,656
Image of Robert Smith
Robert Smith (Mountain Party) Candidate Connection
 
12.4
 
1,271

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 10,265
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59

Ken Reed defeated incumbent Larry D. Kump in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Reed
Ken Reed
 
57.3
 
1,751
Image of Larry D. Kump
Larry D. Kump
 
42.7
 
1,304

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,055
Candidate Connection = 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.

Mountain Party convention

Mountain Party convention for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59

Robert Smith advanced from the Mountain Party convention for West Virginia House of Delegates District 59 on June 20, 2020.

Candidate
✔
Image of Robert Smith
Robert Smith (Mountain Party) Candidate Connection

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = 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 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Robert Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. 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

I am a working class resident self-employed as a communications specialist. I have lived in the Potomac region for most of my life, currently residing just outside Hedgesville town limits. As a young person, I know what can keep West Virginia's entrepreneurial and professional youth from leaving the state, and make a better life for themselves here at home.
  • Cut Vehicle Property Tax & Adjust Minimum Wage Annually for Inflation
  • Establish Citizen Owned, Local Controlled High-Speed Broadband System
  • Invest in our Workforce for a Productive West Virginia with Workcare Program & Create Green Manufacturing Jobs
Aside from energy and environmental issues, I am passionate about electoral reform:

- Adopt Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)
- Campaign Finance Reform
- End Congressional Gerrymandering by Electing U.S. House Representatives At-large
- Establish Initiative and Referendum
- Incorporate direct democracy into our constitution
- Implement Local Government Reform
- Move Toward a Unicameral Legislature

- Support Common Sense Term Limits
My great-grandfather Andrew Blasco. He was a working-class man who really walked the talk. He worked in a sweatshop and as a butcher in Baltimore. He had a strong moral fiber. He was an organizer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. From organizing in Hancock and other places in rural Western Maryland, he and organizers like him were placed on a hit list. He risked his life for basic labor rights. When it came to his own community and as a Christian, he visited and routinely spent time with the poor. He is an example of someone who did not need praise or credit to do the right thing; he just did it. Unfortunately I never got to personally know him. Though he was by no means famous, he did play minor league baseball with the Harrisburg Senators!
Honesty & Integrity.
I have experience authoring and advocating for legislation as a citizen, across party lines. The three keys to being an effective lawmaker are listening to constituents, articulating their concerns into positive life-changing policy, and then advocating for these proposals on behalf of the people.
To be responsive and accountable to their constituents.
I very vividly remember as a chilld sitting with my mother listening to the radio when it was announced on the news that President Bush was sending troops into Iraq. I was seven years old.

Born in 1996, I surprisingly don't have vivid memories of 9/11 despite having lived through it. At the age of four, I was shielded from seeing the video footage as it happened live. Though now that I think about it, we may not have had a TV at the time. The most we ever had at times was free over-the-air television.
The first paycheck I got was a one time summer job in High School at Greenbrier State Park in Washington County, MD. I was expected to do everything from working concessions to renting peddle boats for the day. I got to learn customer service and engage with the public. Since then, I have had various low wage service industry jobs that helped get me by through community college. This included working at a candy store and a jewelery counter at a department store. I know what it's like having to get by on just minimum wage; it is near impossible to survive on without a good support network.
Like most working class folks, we all face times in the year when money gets tight. Life gets the best of us. Recently with COVID-19, it has meant for many people that they have either lost their job or lost business. I have been very fortunate at this time for being able to work from home, but I understand the financial struggles other people are facing.
No differences are significant, other than that the House has greater representation than the Senate. Both chambers fail to effectively communicate with each other. I support moving towards a unicameral legislature for the state of West Virginia.
It is essential that legislators understand the legislative process.
Creating high-speed broadband infrastructure for the entire state, tackling poverty, and transitioning to Green renewable energy power.
Currently, our state constitution has established a gubernatorial system. I would support constitutional reform to establish a parliamentary system, similar to what is used in Canada's provinces.
Absolutely. On some issues, legislators have to work across party lines.
Eliminate the use of districts if possible. In the case of congressional districts, which will likely be reduced from three to two in West Virginia, representatives to congress could be elected at-large, which would completely resolve the issue of gerrymandering. In the case of state legislative districts, an independent commission that oversees the implementation of computer-generated districts that are compact and utilize county borders or natural barriers as its boundaries would be ideal.
Judiciary.
No. Independent of the major parties, I will not take marching orders from either of the major parties' leadership.
Not in particular.
Probably not. If anything, it would be at the local level.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 16, 2020.


Current members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
Leadership
Minority Leader:Sean Hornbuckle
Representatives
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Bill Bell (R)
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Mark Dean (R)
District 35
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S. Green (R)
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Carl Roop (R)
District 45
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Vacant
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JB Akers (R)
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District 97
S. Anders (R)
District 98
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District 100
Republican Party (90)
Democratic Party (9)
Vacancies (1)


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