Adam Smith (D-Wa-09)

LEGISLATOR US Representative ADAM SMITH (D-WA-09)

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Up for re-election in 2016 Email Contact Form https://adamsmith.house. 10th Term gov/contact Re-elected in 2014 Web https://adamsmith.house.gov https://adamsmith.house.gov

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DC Office 2264 Rayburn House Office Building

BGOV BIOGRAPHY

By Brian Nutting and Katya Kazakina, Bloomberg News

Once described by the Seattle Times as a ``raging moderate,'' Adam Smith refers to himself on his congressional website as a ``moderate Democrat.'' That description fits both his placement on the political spectrum in relation to his House Democratic colleagues and also his personal demeanor -- serious, hard-working, low-key.

He also describes himself as a pragmatist.

Smith has been the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee since 2011.

He voted to authorize military action in Iraq, although he later became one of President George W. Bush's harshest critics. He has generally supported President Barack Obama's strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan, favoring reductions in U.S. troop strength as long as it is done ``responsibly.'' He's visited Afghanistan a half dozen times, and in 2013 expressed optimism that Afghan troops were more effective than they were during his previous visits.

His focus has been on military personnel and making sure they have the proper equipment. When the ad hoc congressional ``supercommittee'' was meeting in 2011 to try to develop a significant deficit reduction plan, Smith wrote the panel a letter asking it not to recommend further defense cuts beyond those that had already been projected. He said the committee should consider increasing revenue and avoid ``any deficit reduction recommendations that might prematurely force the DOD to make what may prove to be precarious strategic adjustments.''

In subsequent discussions of federal spending, Smith has endorsed cuts in both defense and non-defense spending, along with increased revenues.

Smith is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of House Democrats who typically have a more pro-business © 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved Smith is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of House Democrats who typically have a more pro-business bent than their colleagues.

He generally favors free trade agreements with other nations -- trade is a major factor in the Evergreen State's economy -- although not as enthusiastically as the famous 18th century Scottish philosopher/economist of the same name.

In the past, Smith opposed some trade deals when he determined they didn't include enough labor protections -- for both American workers and their foreign counterparts. He voted against the 2005 Central America Free Trade Agreement; however he has since backed most of the pacts, including 2011 agreements with Panama, South Korea and Colombia.

Smith's voting record shows he departs from the Democratic Party position a bit more often than the average Democrat, and not just on trade matters. He opposed the bill to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff early in 2013, saying that it ``lacked a realistic path towards deficit reduction and fell short in providing necessary revenues.'' In 2012, he was one of 41 Democrats who voted against a compromise bill to extend a payroll tax cut, without corresponding spending cuts or tax increases. Smith also has backed renewal of provisions of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

His score from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action in 2012 was 70 percent, while the average score that year for a House Democrat was 80 percent.

On most key social and economic issues, he's in the Democratic camp: He supports abortion rights, same sex marriage, gun control, regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, and immigration overhaul that includes a path to citizenship for many undocument immigrants.

Smith has been on the Armed Services panel since he came to Congress in 1997, however he ranked only eighth on the Democratic roster in the 111th Congress. In 2010, however, four more senior Democrats lost re-election bids, including top Democrat Ike Skelton, and two others didn't seek re-election. When Democrats met to choose their ranking member for the 112th Congress, Smith vied against two colleagues, Loretta Sanchez of California and Silvestre Reyes of Texas. Smith defeated Sanchez on the second ballot.

Smith looks out for the combined Army and Air Force bases known as Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which has more than 40,000 active duty military personnel and about 15,000 civilian workers. Although no longer in his district, the base is a major presence in the entire area. While the base provides a boost to the economy, Smith notes that it also poses challenges, such as traffic congestion that he hopes to alleviate with the construction of highways to take some pressure off of Interstate 5. Early Years Adopted as an infant, Smith was raised in the SeaTac area of Washington. His father, a baggage handler for United Airlines, died of a heart attack when Smith was a teenager. He was in his 20s when he discovered that he'd been adopted; the woman he regarded as his aunt (his father's sister) was actually his birth mother.

After his father died and the family went on welfare, Smith put himself through Fordham University by loading trucks for the United Parcel Service. He was a Teamsters union member and still supports organized labor on most issues.

Not long after he got his law degree in 1990, he ran for the state Senate, waging an aggressive door-to-door campaign. He posted an upset victory against a 16-year incumbent and took office at age 25, the youngest state senator in the country.

He was in private law practice and then, during a portion of his tenure as a part-time state lawmaker, Smith also worked as a prosecutor for the city of Seattle.

In 1996, Smith challenged one-term Republican Representative Randy Tate in the 9th Congressional District. Once again campaigning door-to-door in an area where many residents had already been visited during his state Senate campaigns, Smith beat Tate by three percentage points.

After that first slim victory Smith's re-election bids have mostly been low-stress affairs, save in 2010. That year, battling a strong nationwide Republican trend, Smith won by slightly less than 10 percentage points. His winning margins in other elections were considerably larger, including a 44 percentage point victory in 2012, better than Barack Obama's 38-point margin. New congressional lines drawn after decennial redistricting gave Smith a more favorable district -- with about 44 percent minorities -- 21 percent Asian, 11 percent black and 12 percent Hispanic. Updated Jan. 21, 2014

From the Representative's Website Home Grown Leadership Adam Smith was born on June 15, 1965, in Washington, D.C. Adopted as an infant, he was raised in SeaTac, Washington where his father, Ben, worked as a ramp serviceman at SeaTac Airport and was active in the local Machinists' Union. His mother, Leila, stayed at home, raising Adam and his two brothers. Adam attended Bow Lake Elementary, Chinook Middle School, and Tyee High School, graduating from Tyee in 1983. After a year at Western Washington University, Adam transferred to Fordham University, where he worked his way through college loading trucks for United Parcel Service and graduated in 1987 with a degree in Political Science. Following his graduation, Adam attended the University Of Washington School Of Law, and earned his law degree in 1990. He later worked in both private and public practice, first as a lawyer at Cromwell, Mendoza and Belur in 1992, and then as a prosecutor for the City of Seattle from 1993-1995. As a prosecutor, Adam focused on drunk driving and domestic violence cases, and in 1996, went on to work as a judge pro tempore. During his final year at UW, Adam decided to run for the State Senate in the 33rd Legislative District, where he grew up. He campaigned door to door, eventually doorbelling the entire district twice and defeating the 16 year incumbent in the 1990 election. When he took office in January 1991, Adam was 25 years old and the youngest State Senator in the country. While in the State Senate, Adam served on the Education and Law and Justice Committees, and served as Chair of the Law and Justice Committee from 1993-1997. Despite the strong Republican tide in 1994, Adam was re-elected to the State Senate in 1994 and his victory helped the Democrats retain control of the State Senate by one seat. During his time in the State Senate, Adam developed a reputation as a moderate Democrat, with a thoughtful and common sense approach to governance. Work in Congress Now in his 9th term, Adam serves as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he is a strong advocate for our military personnel and their families. Adam is also committed to providing our military personnel with the best equipment available to carry out their current and future missions while ensuring that the Pentagon spends taxpayer dollars in the most efficient and effective manner. This includes carefully examining our current policies and working to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse. Having served on the on the House Armed Services Committee since 1997, Adam formerly chaired the subcommittee on Air and Land Forces (ALF), which has jurisdiction over all Army and nearly all Air Force acquisition programs. Prior to serving as Chair of ALF, Adam chaired the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities subcommittee, which oversees the United States Special Operations Forces and counter-terrorism policy, among other critical areas. Adam has also previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Given his current and previous committee assignments and extensive travel, Adam has unique insights into today's foremost national security issues throughout the Middle East, including the war in Afghanistan, as well as Northern Africa and our larger efforts to stop the spread of violent extremist groups and their ideology around the globe. Understanding the need for a holistic approach to national security, Adam recognizes the importance of poverty reduction, access to education, sustainable global markets, diplomatic engagement, good governance and other measures to enable our pursuit of stable international partners. As such, he has been a long-time advocate of strengthening American diplomacy and development as well as defense. Congressman Smith sees a clear need to reform our foreign assistance and improve these two pillars of national security that have been under-resourced and underutilized for too long. He has supported efforts to reform American foreign assistance, introduced legislation to address global poverty, and created the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance (CCEFA) with Congressman Ander Crenshaw. Personal In 1993, Adam married Spokane native, Sara Bickle-Eldridge, a graduate of the University of Washington and Seattle University School of Law. Their daughter, Kendall Charlotte, was born in July 2000, followed by their son, Jack Evers, in June 2003. The Smiths live in Bellevue, where their children attend Cougar Ridge Elementary School and Issaquah Middle School, and participate in the local sports leagues. Both Adam and Sara are involved in various community organizations and Sara recently served two terms as PTA President at their children's school.

COMMITTEES Birthdate 06/15/1965 PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS House Committee on Armed Education Services Birthplace Washington, DC Ranking Member Political Fordham University House Select Committee for the Democratic Party Party Bachelor's Degree 1987 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi Marital CAUCUSES Married Status Univ of Washington Law Schl Congressional Caucus for Effective JD 1990 Foreign Assistance Sara Bickle- Spouse Congressional Caucus on Eldridge Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention Residence Bellevue, WA 1991 - 1996 State Senator, (WA)Senate 1992 Lawyer, Cromwell, Mendoza & Blur USO Congressional Caucus 1993 - 1995 Prosecutor, City of Seattle WA Family 2 children 01-03-1997 - Present Representative:Washington, (US)House of Representatives