Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Jamie Smith (politician)
American politician (born 1971) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
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]
Remove ads
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]
Remove ads
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads