Jamie Smith (politician)

Jamie Smith
Minority Leader of the South Dakota House of Representatives
In office
January 10, 2019 – January 10, 2023
Preceded bySpencer Hawley
Succeeded byOren Lesmeister
Member of the South Dakota Senate
from the 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2025
Preceded byReynold Nesiba
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 10, 2017 – January 10, 2023
Serving with Linda Duba
Preceded byPatrick Kirschman
Succeeded byKadyn Wittman
Personal details
Born (1971-01-31) January 31, 1971
Political partyDemocratic
EducationAugustana University

Jamie R. Smith (born January 31, 1971)[1] is an American politician and Senator in the South Dakota Senate. Smith represents District 15, which covers downtown Sioux Falls neighborhoods, including areas around Terrace Park and the Great Plains Zoo.[2] He served as House Minority Leader is the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023.[3][4][5]

Smith was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial election, losing to incumbent Republican governor Kristi Noem.[6]

Career

Smith is a real estate agent with Hegg Realtors,[7] a former science teacher and wrestling coach,[8] and a member of the Democratic Party. He lives in Sioux Falls.[9]

Smith has earned plaudits from both Republicans and Democrats. In 2025, Greg Jamison, a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives characterized Smith as a "good guy, likable, [and] easy to work with."[10] The previous year, Democratic State Senator Reynold Nesiba stated that he was "thrilled" Smith was running to replace him in the South Dakota Senate.[11]

In 2024, Smith filed to run for the South Dakota State Senate from the 15th District. He faced Republican Brenda Lawrence in the general election, and was elected with 52.4% of the vote.[12]

As a State Senator, Smith supported women's health care and criminal justice reform.[13][14] During the 2025 legislative session, he encouraged his legislative colleagues to consider drug addiction as "an illness, rather than a moral failing."[15] Smith also opposed school voucher programs.[13]

On May 28th, 2025, Smith announced that he would run in the 2026 Sioux Falls mayoral race.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Jamie R Smith". Legislative Research Council. South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "South Dakota House of Representatives District 15". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "South Dakota Democrats elect legislative leadership". 2018.
  4. ^ "Jamie Smith (South Dakota)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Sneve, Joe. "Sioux Falls realtor, former educator to run for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's job". Argus Leader.
  7. ^ Smith, Jamie. "Jamie Smith". jsmith.hegg.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ^ "SDLRC - Representative Jamie Smith - 2019". sdlegislature.gov. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Former Democratic candidate for governor planning Sioux Falls mayoral bid". Sioux Falls Live. May 28, 2025. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  10. ^ Green, Grant (May 28, 2025). "Jamie Smith announces candidacy for SF mayor, Rep. Jamison considering a run". www.dakotanewsnow.com. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  11. ^ "South Dakota Democrats announce slate of candidates to try to hold three legislative seats in Sioux Falls". The South Dakota Standard. December 19, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  12. ^ "South Dakota 2024 Election Canvass" (PDF). South Dakota Secretary of State. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Haiar, Joshua (January 9, 2025). "Noem's former opponent heading back to Pierre as she prepares to leave • South Dakota Searchlight". South Dakota Searchlight. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Hult, John (February 12, 2025). "Bill to change name of Department of Corrections advances • South Dakota Searchlight". South Dakota Searchlight. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  15. ^ Green, Grant (February 18, 2025). "Ingestion bill makes unprecedented progress in South Dakota legislature". www.dakotanewsnow.com. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Trevor J. "State senator who ran against Noem announces Sioux Falls mayoral campaign". Argus Leader. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

Media related to Jamie Smith (politician) at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.