Austin Smith (politician)

Austin Smith (born April 20, 1995) is an American politician. He is a member for the 29th district of the Arizona House of Representatives, alongside Steve Montenegro, since 2023.[2]

Austin Smith
Smith in 2022
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 29th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byCesar Chavez
Personal details
BornApril 20, 1995
Glendale, AZ
Political partyRepublican[1]
Residence(s)Wittmann, AZ
Alma materGrand Canyon University
OccupationNon-Profit Director, Rancher
CommitteesVice Chairman - Natural Resources, Energy and Water. Ways and Means. Municipal Oversight and Elections.
WebsiteAustinForArizona.com

Life and career

Smith was a conservative youth leader.[3] He is a former director of Turning Point USA, the right-wing conservative youth organization founded by Charlie Kirk and is the former chairman of the Arizona branch of the Young Republicans.[4] Smith is a small beef cattle producer in Wittmann, Arizona.

In January 2021, Smith was elected chairman of the Arizona Young Republicans Federation. He oversees Turning Point Action - Charlie Kirk's 501(c)4 political wing of Turning Point USA.

In August 2022, Smith defeated Hop Nguyen and Trey Terry in the Republican primary election for the 29th district of the Arizona House of Representatives.[5] In November 2022, he defeated Scott Podeyn along with Steve Montenegro in the general election.[6] He assumed office in 2023. In 2023, he introduced a bill that passed the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate to ban ranked choice voting in the State of Arizona.[7][8] The measure will appear on the statewide Arizona ballot in November, 2024. He is a member of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus in the Arizona House of Representatives.[9]

References
  1. "These Arizona candidates still say Donald Trump won in 2020, or they're not sure what happened". The Arizona Republic. July 15, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  2. "House Member". Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  3. "Montenegro, Smith Join New LD29 House Race". Arizona Daily Independent Network. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  4. Smith, Austin; Todd, Cheryl; Todd, Dan. "GunFreedomRadio EP313 Revival of Young Voters with Austin Smith". Apple Podcasts. Gun Freedom Radio. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  5. "2022 Arizona State House - District 29 Republican Primary Results". USA Today. August 2, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  6. "2022 Arizona State House - District 29 Election Results". Green Bay Press-Gazette. November 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  7. Roberts, Laurie (30 January 2023). "Arizona's MAGA legislators are terrified of voters and it shows". AZ Central. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. Gilger, Lauren (3 April 2023). "Republicans make moves to ban ranked choice voting before it reaches the Arizona ballot". KJZZ. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  9. Gomez, Gloria Rebecca (5 April 2023). "Lawmakers to ask AZ voters to block ranked-choice voting in 2024". AZ Mirror. Retrieved 28 April 2023.


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