Jeff Smith (Wisconsin politician)

Jeffrey E. "Jeff" Smith (born March 15, 1955) is an American politician and member of the Wisconsin State Senate. A member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, he represents District 31, which streatches from Eau Claire to Prescott to Black River Falls.

Jeff Smith
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 31st district
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Preceded byKathleen Vinehout
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 93rd district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byRobin Kreibich
Succeeded byWarren Petryk
Personal details
Born (1955-03-15) March 15, 1955
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Susan
Children2
ResidenceEau Claire, Wisconsin
Alma materNorth High School
OccupationFormer small business owner

Early life

Smith graduated from North High School in Eau Claire in 1973 and then took up his father's window-cleaning company, which he ran until he sold it in 2011.[1]

Political career

Smith served on the town board for the Town of Brunswick and was chair of the board. He founded the Parent Advisory Committee for the Eau Claire School District. Because of that work, he was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to serve on the Task Force on Educational Excellence in 2003.[2] Smith also served as the co-chair of the Eau Claire County Democratic Party.[3] He is a member of the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.[4]

Smith was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2006, unseating the Republican incumbent Robin Kreibich.[5] He was the chair of the Elections and Campaign Reform Committee and a member of five other committees: Colleges and Universities, Financial Institutions, Education, Renewable Energy and Rural Affairs, and Public Safety.[5]

Smith sponsored Assembly Bill 119, which established five-year-old Kindergarten as a prerequisite to first grade in public and charter schools; Assembly Bill 250, which created licensing requirements for dog sellers and animal shelters, and Assembly Bill 276, which divided the UW System Board of Regents into seven geographical districts.[6]

Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2008, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Smith a grade of C (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F). Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to the AFL-CIO, Smith received a rating of 100. NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin gave Smith a rating of one-hundred percent on abortion-related issues.[7] In 2010, Smith earned a 100% rating from the Wisconsin League of Conservation voters.[8]

In February 2010, Smith received a Humane State Legislator award from The Humane Society of the United States, which recognized him for his efforts to pass The Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, which regulates large-scale puppy breeding operations, commonly referred to as "puppy mills."[9]

Democratic party chair candidacy

In 2015, Smith was a candidate for chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW), facing Jason Rae, Martha Laning, Joe Wineke, and Stephen Smith. If elected DPW Chair, Smith said he’d make it a priority to engage county parties and empower them to be more proactive.

During the campaign, Smith's campaign penned a letter that criticized Laning for her lack of experience and offered her the post of DPW Executive Director if Smith were to be elected chair.[10] Laning publicly stated that she had refused Smith’s offer and criticized Smith for mentioning the offer in campaign literature.[11] Shortly after the letter controversy, Smith wrote an open letter dropping out of the race and asking his supporters to support Laning.[12]

Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate, 31st District Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Primary Election[13]
Democratic Jeff Smith 8,643 49.94
Democratic Steve Boe 4,503 26.02
Democratic Jon W. Schultz 4,151 23.98
Write-ins 10 0.06
Total votes 17,307 100.0
General Election[14]
Democratic Jeff Smith 40,073 51.67
Republican Mel Pittman 35,684 46.01
Green Aaron Elaine Camacho 1,776 2.29
Write-ins 28 0.04
Total votes 77,561 100.0
Wisconsin Assembly, 93rd District Election, 2014[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Warren Petryk (Incumbent) 13,367 55.40
Democratic Jeff Smith 10,749 44.55
Write-ins 14 0.06
Total votes 24,130 100.0
Wisconsin Assembly, 93rd District Election, 2012[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Warren Petryk (Incumbent) 15,612 50.78
Democratic Jeff Smith 15,114 49.16
Write-ins 16 0.05
Total votes 30,742 100.0
Wisconsin Assembly, 93rd District Election, 2010[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Warren Petryk 11,080 50.12
Democratic Jeff Smith (Incumbent) 11,006 49.79
Write-ins 19 0.09
Total votes 22,105 100.0
Wisconsin Assembly, 93rd District Election, 2008[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jeff Smith (Incumbent) 19,276 59.35
Republican Darcy Fields 13,161 40.52
Write-ins 42 0.13
Total votes 32,479 100.0
Wisconsin Assembly, 93rd District Election, 2006[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jeff Smith 11,872 50.62
Republican Rob Kreibich (Incumbent) 11,565 49.31
Write-ins 15 0.06
Total votes 23,452 100.0

References
  1. "Senator Jeff Smith Biography". Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  2. "Wispolitics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  3. "Jeffrey Smith's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. "Individual Members". Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  5. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (comp.). State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book. Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2009, p. 81.
  6. "Smith, Sen. Jeff (31st Sen.Dist.; D)". Wisconsin State Legislature. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=51946
  8. "League of Conservation Voters Scorecard 2010" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  9. "Rep. Jeff Smith Receives Humane Legislator Award". WQOW. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  10. https://us10.campaign-archive.com/?u=a1cad923c938cf6db2dfe7cfe&id=d30a2508fe
  11. Laning, Martha. "An Important Clarification". Martha Laning Democratic Party Chair.
  12. Kissinger, Meg (4 June 2015). "Jeff Smith drops out of race for Dem Party chairmanship". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  13. Canvass Results for 2018 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. August 14, 2018. p. 28. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  14. Canvass Results for 2018 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 6, 2018. p. 9. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  15. Canvass Results for 2014 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 24, 2014. p. 29-30. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  16. Canvass Results for 2012 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 26, 2012. p. 30-31. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  17. Canvass Results for 2010 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2010. p. 32. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  18. Canvass Results for 2008 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2008. p. 32. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  19. Canvass Results for 2006 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 5, 2006. p. 42. Retrieved October 20, 2020.


Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Robin Kreibich		 Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 93rd district
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011		 Succeeded by
Warren Petryk
Wisconsin State Senate
Preceded by
Kathleen Vinehout		 Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 31st district
January 7, 2019 – present		 Incumbent
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