Andy Smith (Minnesota politician)

• Business owner
• Legislator

Andy Smith
Member of the MinnesotaHouseofRepresentatives from the 25B district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Website	Government website Campaign website

Andrew Smith (born May 24, 1991) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Smith represents District 25B in southeastern Minnesota, which includes downtown Rochester in Olmsted County. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life, education and career

Smith attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in theology. He then attended Westminster Seminary California for his Master of divinity. ^[1]

In 2019, Smith opened Gray Duck Theater in Rochester, a microcinema that showed independent and retro films. ^[3] The theater permanently closed in February 2023 due to challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, with Smith filing for bankruptcy in April 2023. ^{[4] [5]} His wife is the majority owner of Garden Party Books in Rochester. ^[6]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Smith was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. He first ran after legislative redistricting and after one-term DFL incumbent Liz Boldon announced she would run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate. ^{[1] [7]}

Smith serves on the Economic Development Finance and Policy, Health Finance and Policy, Sustainable Infrastructure Policy, and Taxes Committees. ^[1]

Political positions

In January 2023, after a hearing on a bill codifying the right to an abortion, activists from the group Minnesota Right to Life targeted Smith and fellow representative Tina Liebling, following them from the committee room while filming and shouting at them. ^[8] Smith, who was raised in a conservative Christian home, said he used to oppose abortion but now believes "women and those who are pregnant should have control over their own body and their medical decisions". ^[8]

Smith has criticized the war on drugs and the crackdown on marijuana and psilocybin. ^[9] He authored a bipartisan proposal in 2023 that formed a Psychedelic Medicine Task Force to advise the legislature on the legal, medical, and policy issues associated with legalizing psychedelic medicine in the state. ^[9] The bill passed as part of the 2023 health budget and Smith was appointed to serve on the task force. ^{[10] [11]}

Smith spoke in favor of the DFL's paid family and medical leave proposal, saying, "we are lagging behind the rest of the world". ^[12] He supported legislation banning the discredited practice of conversion therapy on minors and vulnerable adults, responding to questions about religious liberty by saying, "this freedom [of religious expression] is not a freedom to harm". ^[13] In 2020, Smith said he supported citywide masking mandates in Rochester to help contain the spread of COVID-19. ^[14]

Smith has advocated for a more equitable tax policy to avoid forcing "local people to make those decisions that they sent us here to make". ^[15] He co-sponsored legislation to repeal a gag order on studying high-speed rail options between the Twin Cities and Rochester, saying passenger rail for southern Minnesota is "long overdue". ^[16]

Electoral history

2022 Minnesota State House - District 25B ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Andrew Smith	10,040	64.04
	Republican	John Joseph Robinson	5,634	35.94
	Write-in		3	0.02
Total votes			15,677	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

Smith lives in Rochester, Minnesota, with his wife, Anna. ^[1]

References

1. "Smith, Andrew "Andy" - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
2. "Rep. Andy Smith (25B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
3. McKinney, Matt (August 6, 2022). "Minnesota couple raise the curtain on 66-seat microtheater in Rochester". Star Tribune.
4. "Gray Duck Theater and Coffeehouse closes its doors". KIMT News 3. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
5. "Rep. Andy Smith files for bankruptcy protection after closure of Gray Duck Theater". Rochester Post Bulletin. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
6. "About – Garden Party Books" . Retrieved 2024-10-01.
7. Mewes, Trey (November 9, 2022). "In Rochester, incumbents keep power in local elections after partisan campaigns". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
8. Winter, Deena (2023-01-27). "Right to Life targets lawmakers — literally — with gonzo journalist tactics". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
9. Bierschbach, Briana (March 25, 2023). "Minnesota legislators push task force to explore legalizing psychedelic medicine". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
10. Bierschbach, Briana (July 26, 2023). "This veteran used psychedelics to treat his PTSD. Now he wants Minnesota to legalize it as medicine". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
11. Coolican, J. Patrick (2023-06-26). "The Easter eggs: The good stuff the Legislature passed you may not have heard about". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
12. Ferguson, Dana (2023-05-02). "Minnesota House passes paid family leave program". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
13. Deng, Grace (February 21, 2023). "Minnesota House passes bill to ban 'conversion therapy' for minors". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
14. Richert, Catharine (2020-06-29). "In Rochester, a debate over mandatory masks in Med City". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
15. Stokes, Kyle (2023-06-07). "Which Minnesota cities, counties got the OK to put sales tax hikes to voters". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
16. Moore, Janet (February 10, 2023). "Lawmakers seek to lift gag order on commuter rail between Minneapolis, Northfield". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
17. "2022 Results for State Representative District 25B". Minnesota Secretary of State . Retrieved February 25, 2023.

External links

• Andy Smith at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
• Official House of Representatives website
• Official campaign website