Adam Smith

David Adam Smith, a Democrat, has represented the Ninth Congressional District of Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997.

Iraq War
Smith voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

He voted against President Bush's plan to "surge" U.S. troop levels in Iraq in early 2007, saying "After the meeting I considered the President’s argument and reviewed the available information, including the Iraq Study Group Report. In the end, even though I gave the President’s argument due consideration, I don’t find it persuasive. A troop surge is not the answer in Iraq." 

In 2007, Smith introduced a bill with Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) that would require a new vote on the mission in Iraq. In support of his bill, Smith said, "We must alter our Iraq mission to one acceptable to the American people, but in order to do that, we need military planners to begin planning the redeployment of our forces. Our bill would allow us to set a new mission, force the Defense Department to craft a plan to redeploy our troops, and require the President engage in vigorous diplomacy to help settle the Iraq crisis." 

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Positions on energy and the environment
Smith supports cleaner and better energy options, voting yes on the Clean Energy Act of 2007. 

He was supported 100% by the Campaign for America's Future and was endorsed by the Sierra Club in 2006

Support for veterans
Smith has voted to support benefits to veterans and the building of medical facilities for veterans. He supported the views of the Disabled American Veterans 100% of the time in 2004-2006, and received a grade of A- from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. 

Detainee treatment
He voted against the Military Commissions Act in 2006, which allowed the president to define and enforce all "non-grave" breaches of the Geneva Convention. 

Abortion
Smith is pro-choice and has been supported 100% of the time by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice. He has voted to keep abortion legal and to prevent complex procedures from being required to get an abortion. 

Minimum wage
Smith has supported a raise in minimum wage and more support for low-income families and workers. He is supported by the AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union as well as other interest groups supporting workers rights. 

In a recent speech after voting yes to raise the federal minimum wage, Smith said, "Millions of American families have had to get by on $5.15 an hour for the past decade. While I’m pleased that Washington state remains a national leader on this issue, it was important for the rest of the country to support workers with a higher federal minimum wage." 

Background
Smith was born June 15, 1965, in Tacoma, Washington and raised in the Sea-Tac area. His father, who worked for United Airlines and was active in the Machinists' Union, died when Smith was 17.

Smith graduated from Fordham University in 1987 and completed a law degree at the University of Washington in 1990.

He married Sara Smith in 1993 and they have two kids, Kendall, born in 2000, and Jack, born in 2003.

Congressional Career
Smith served in the Washington state Senate from 1991 to 1996. He was just twenty-five years old at the time of his election, defeating an incumbent Republican to become the youngest State Senator in the country. He won his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 by defeating another incumbent Republican, religious conservative Randy Tate.

Smith won his fifth term in the election held on November 2, 2004. His "straight talk", "get the job done" communication style is credited as one reason for his success, gives him a relatively safe seat and positive future consideration for other state offices should he choose to pursue them.

2006 elections
In 2006, Republicans nominated Steven Charles Cofchin to face Smith in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)  Smith retained his seat, winning 66.17% of the vote. []

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities -Chair
 * Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
 * House Committee on Foreign Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations
 * Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
 * Subcommittee on Terrorism Unconventional Threats and Capabilities
 * House Committee on International Relations
 * Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
 * Subcommitteeon Europe and Emerging Threats
 * Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Kent Drinking Driver Task Force
 * Co-Chair, New Democrat Coalition

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Highline Citizens for Schools
 * Board of Directors, Judson Park Nursing Home
 * Kent-Merrimar High School Site-Board Council
 * National Guard & Reserve Components Congressional Members Organization
 * Sentar Kiwanis Club
 * Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce

2008 Campaign Contact Information
Official Smith for Congress campaign website

Adam Smith for Congress PO Box 23626 Federal Way, WA 98093

Phone:253-572-6125 Fax: 253-572-6123

Articles and resources

 * Official Website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * The Tacoma Activist