Jeff Smith (Missouri politician)

Last updated

In 2004, Smith was a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives to replace retiring Congressman Dick Gephardt. Beginning as an unknown, Smith finished second in the ten-candidate field, narrowly losing to Russ Carnahan. [8] His campaign was widely recognized as an example of successful grassroots organizing. It was the subject of the documentary film Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? , which won the 2006 audience choice award at the Silverdocs film festival. [9] In February 2007, the documentary aired on the award-winning PBS series Independent Lens . [10]

Criminal conviction

In the primary approach to the 2004 congressional election, a representative, unknown at the time to be working for a group called Voters for Truth, approached members of Smith's campaign staff, offering to create and send out campaign mail regarding opponent Russ Carnahan's inconsistent voting record. Campaign staff subsequently approached Smith, who told them he had no opinion on the issue, and regardless of what decision they came to, not to share with him any of the details in order to avoid the possibility of campaign malfeasance. In September 2004, Smith submitted an affidavit to the Federal Election Commission relating to an accused conspiracy with the group Voters for Truth, occurring in the summer of 2004. Smith certified that he knew nothing in detail regarding the mailing sent by Voters for Truth.

In January 2009, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, acting upon newly discovered information, opened a criminal investigation to determine whether anyone had attempted to obstruct the Federal Election Commission proceeding. Smith's former friend and associate Steve Brown was approached by the FBI to wear a wire. Brown escaped a jail sentence by recording conversations with Smith, in which Brown deliberately brought up the topic of the campaign mailings. Smith pleaded guilty to two felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Each conspiracy count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. He resigned effective August 25, 2009, and was sentenced to one year and a day of prison. He also was fined $50,000. [11]

Smith and his lawyer requested two years of home confinement and full-time community service, during which Smith would be allowed to leave his home only to teach civics and coach basketball at Confluence Academy, without pay. It would've saved taxpayers over $175,000: two years of a teacher's salary, plus the cost of housing a federal prisoner. More than 300 people, including a bipartisan group of the state's top elected officials, wrote public letters to the judge presiding over Smith's case, requesting clemency and arguing that—as Smith's prison counselor in Kentucky would later note—detaining Smith would be a waste of money and resources. However, Federal officials portrayed Smith as the mastermind of a "textbook case of political corruption" and pushed for a harsh sentence at the top of the federal guidelines. Smith was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. His lawyer subsequently requested Smith be sent to a prison camp in Marion, Illinois. [12] However, Smith was sent to the camp at Federal Correctional Institution, Manchester in Kentucky. [13] In late August 2010 he was released to a halfway house in St. Louis. [14] In November 2010, he was released early from the halfway house and is no longer in federal custody. [15] [16]

Missouri Senate

2006 election

A year after his unsuccessful congressional campaign, Smith announced his intention to seek the Missouri Senate seat being vacated by Pat Dougherty. The race was heavily contested and other candidates included State Representatives Yaphett El-Amin, and Amber Boykins, former State Representative Derio Gambaro, and former St. Louis Alderman Kenny Jones. Smith won the primary election on August 8, 2006, and was unopposed in the general election. [17]

Tenure

On December 22, 2008, Smith introduced Paternity Reform legislation in the Missouri State Senate. Sen. Smith's SB 140 created "fathering courts" throughout the state, while SB 141 is generally like the model legislation. [18] Governor Jay Nixon signed both bills into law shortly after the 2009 legislative session. Smith also emerged in 2009 as the Legislature's leading advocate for historic preservation tax credits, and he sponsored and passed legislation creating a state Green Sales Tax Holiday eliminating sales tax on energy efficient appliances during the week of Earth Day each year.

Personal life

In spring 2011, Smith was married; in September of the same year, he and his wife Teresa had their first child, Charlie Wallace Smith. Smith accepted a professorship in urban policy at the New School's Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy in New York City. He began writing for the website The Recovering Politician [19] and contributing to Politico - The Arena. [20] His writing has been published in Inc. magazine [21] and praised in New York Magazine's Approval Matrix. [22] In 2012, Smith gave a TED talk in New York titled "Lessons in business ... from prison". [23] In 2015, Smith published a book, Mr. Smith Goes to Prison, which details his time in politics and federal prison. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ashcroft</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1942)

John David Ashcroft is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the United States Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. He previously held various positions in Missouri politics; as Auditor of Missouri (1973–1975), Attorney General of Missouri (1976–1985), Governor of Missouri (1985–1993), and as a United States Senator representing Missouri (1995–2001). He later founded The Ashcroft Group, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Carnahan</span> American politician (1934–2000)

Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Akin</span> American politician (1947–2021)

William Todd Akin was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis area. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, Akin served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and worked in the computer and steel industries. In 1988, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He served in the state house until 2000, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, in which he served until 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Carnahan</span> American politician and writer (1933–2024)

Jean Anne Carnahan was an American politician and writer who was the First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States senator from 2001 to 2002. A Democrat, she was appointed to fill the Senate seat of her husband Mel Carnahan, who had been posthumously elected after his death in October, becoming the first woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Blunt</span> American politician (born 1950)

Roy Dean Blunt is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd Missouri Secretary of State (1985–1993) and U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district (1997–2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire McCaskill</span> American politician (born 1953)

Claire Conner McCaskill is an American former politician who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russ Carnahan</span> American politician (born 1958)

John Russell Carnahan is an American politician from the state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Carnahan</span> American businesswoman and politician (born 1961)

Robin Colleen Carnahan is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the Missouri Secretary of State and currently serves as the Administrator of General Services in the Biden administration. She is the daughter of Missouri politicians Mel and Jean Carnahan. In 2010, she was the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate election in Missouri to replace retiring Republican Senator Kit Bond but lost to Roy Blunt. She was then a senior advisor at the global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group. In 2013, Carnahan was named a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. In February 2016, she joined the General Services Administration as the director of the state and local practice at 18F, a role she held until January 2020. She then became a fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2006 United States Senate election in Missouri was held November 7, 2006, to decide who would serve as senator for Missouri between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2013. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in Missouri after elections in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Talent</span> American politician (born 1956)

James Matthes Talent is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 7, 2000, to select the next U.S. senator from Missouri. Incumbent Republican senator John Ashcroft lost re-election to a second term to Democratic governor Mel Carnahan despite Carnahan's death in a plane crash 20 days before Election Day. Newly inaugurated governor Roger Wilson appointed Mel Carnahan's widow Jean Carnahan to fill the seat pending a 2002 special election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri</span>

The 2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri was held on November 5, 2002, to decide who would serve the rest of Democrat Mel Carnahan's term, after he died while campaigning and posthumously won the 2000 election. The winner would serve the remainder of the term ending in 2007. Governor Roger Wilson appointed Carnahan's wife Jean, also a Democrat, to serve temporarily. She then decided to run to serve the remainder of the term, but she was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Jim Talent.

Jeff Roe is an American political consultant and strategist for the Republican Party. He is the founder and principal of Axiom Strategies, a political consulting firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, with twelve offices in eight states. He formerly served as a chief of staff, campaign manager, and longtime aide for United States Representative Sam Graves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2010 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 2, 2010, alongside 36 other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on August 3, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kit Bond decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican nominee Roy Blunt won the open seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2012 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<i>Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?</i> 2006 American film

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? is a 2006 documentary film directed by Frank Popper, which follows Missouri politician Jeff Smith's 2004 Democratic primary election campaign to the United States House of Representatives after the retirement of Dick Gephardt from his seat. The film follows Smith as he challenges Russ Carnahan, a member of the Carnahan political family and the frontrunner of a crowded Democratic primary, to capture the Democratic nomination for the seat. The movie's title references Frank Capra's 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which a naive but well-meaning man becomes a Senator and fights the cynical nature of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri</span>

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri were held specifically on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, and elected the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Missouri, a loss of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a federal quadrennial presidential election, concurrent statewide gubernatorial election, quadrennial statewide lieutenant gubernatorial election, and an election to the U.S. Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Blunt</span> American political consultant

Andrew Blunt is the chief executive officer and executive chairman for Husch Blackwell Strategies. He is the son of former U.S. Senator Roy Blunt and the brother of former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Missouri, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections, including Missouri's quadrennial State Auditor election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Missouri</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 8, 2022, concurrently with elections for all other Class 3 U.S. senators and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, to select a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Missouri. Incumbent senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, did not seek a third term in office. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the open seat, defeating Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine.

References

  1. "Jeff Smith Resigns Missouri Senate, Pleads Guilty to Two Felonies".
  2. "Mr Smith Prison | User Clip | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  3. Hochschild, Adam (2016-05-26). "Our Awful Prisons: How They Can Be Changed". The New York Review of Books. ISSN   0028-7504 . Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  4. Zengerle, Jason (2015-11-12). "This Politician Went to Jail—and Learned Some Surprising Truths About Prison". GQ. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  5. Smith, Jeff (September 2015). "'The Senator Be Embezzling'". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  6. 1 2 "About Jeff Smith". Jeff Smith 2006 Missouri State Senate campaign site. Archived from the original on 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
  7. "Lis Smith Loves Politics (If Not All Politicians)". 8 July 2022.
  8. "Election Night Reporting: U.S. Representative - District 3 - Summary". Official Election Returns, State of Missouri Primary Election, Tuesday, August 3, 2004. State of Missouri.
  9. "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? website". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
  10. "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?". Independent Lens. PBS. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  11. "'The Senator be Embezzling'". Politico . September 2015.
  12. Hinman, Kristen (November 17, 2009). "Former Senator Jeff Smith Will Likely Go to the Marion, Illinois, Clinker". The Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  13. Levitt, Aimee (October 4, 2011). "Jeff Smith Reveals Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Prison Sex But Were Afraid to Ask". The Riverfront Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  14. Garrison, Chad (2010-08-26). "Jeff Smith Moves From Prison to Halfway House". Blogs.riverfronttimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  15. "Ex-con Jeff Smith to Carnahan camp: Tell the truth : News". Stltoday.com. 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  16. "Inmate Locator". Bop.gov. Retrieved 2014-08-13.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. "Election Night Reporting: State Senator - District 4 - Summary". Official Election Returns, State of Missouri Primary Election - Primary Election, Tuesday, August 8, 2006. State of Missouri.
  18. "Paternity Fraud Reform Introduced in the Missouri Senate". Allvoices.com. Archived from the original on 2011-04-17.
  19. Smith, Jeff. "Jeff Smith « The Recovering Politician". Therecoveringpolitician.com. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  20. Arena Ref: Erika Lovley (2012-12-21). "Farewell to the Arena - The Arena". Politico.Com. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  21. Smith, Jeff (April 14, 2011). "An Unlikely Place to Nurture the Entrepreneurial Spirit? Jail". Inc.com . Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  22. "The Approval Matrix - Week of April 25, 2011". Nymag.com. 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  23. Smith, Jeff (June 2012). "Lessons in business ... from prison". TED . Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  24. Smith, Jeff (September 1, 2015). Mr. Smith Goes to Prison: What My Year Behind Bars Taught Me About America's Prison Crisis. St. Martin's Press. ISBN   978-1-250-05840-9.
Jeff Smith
Jeffsmithedited-400x600.jpg
Member of the Missouri Senate
from the 4th district
In office
January 3, 2007 August 25, 2009 [1]