Shirley Smith (politician)

Shirley A. Smith (born November 29, 1950) is an American politician who served as a member of the Ohio Senate from 2007 to 2014. Previously, she was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She is a Democrat.

Shirley A. Smith
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 21st district
In office
January 2, 2007 – November 30, 2014
Preceded byC. J. Prentiss
Succeeded bySandra Williams
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 10th district
In office
January 6, 2003 – January 2, 2007
Preceded byAnnie L. Key
Succeeded byEugene Miller
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 8th district
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 6, 2003
Preceded byC. J. Prentiss
Succeeded byLance Mason
Personal details
Born (1950-11-29) November 29, 1950
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
EducationCuyahoga Community College (AA)
Cleveland State University (BA)

Early life and education

Smith is a native of Cleveland. She earned an associate degree from Cuyahoga Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cleveland State University.[1]

Career

Smith has worked in sales and marketing, and as a radio talk-show host for a major radio station in Cleveland, and has also served as an independent consultant for Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

When incumbent C. J. Prentiss decided to run for the Ohio Senate, Smith and four other Democrats sought to replace her in the 1998 primary election. Smith won the District 8 nomination with 35.29% of the vote.[2] She won the general election against Republican Dominic Rini with 86.15% of the vote.[3] Smith won reelection in District 8 in 2000 against Republican Ronnie Jones with 87.2% of the vote.[4]

In 2002, Smith again faced a primary challenge from four other Democrats, due to redistricting. However she won the District 10 nomination with 43.66% of the vote.[5] She went unopposed in the general election[6] and was unopposed for the 2004 general election.[7] For the 126th General Assembly, Smith served as secretary of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC).

Ohio Senate

In late 2005, Smith announced that she would run to succeed term-limited Prentiss in the Senate, along with Representatives Annie L. Key, Claudette Woodard and two other Democrats. While it was a contested primary, Smith defeated the opposition to take the District 21 nomination with 50.86% of the votes.[8] She won the general election with 85.34% of the electorate.[9] In the 127th General Assembly, Smith served as president of the OLBC.

Early in 2008, the Senate Democrats ousted Minority Leader Teresa Fedor and replaced her with Ray Miller, as well as Smith as assistant minority leader. With the beginning of the 128th General Assembly, the caucus retained Smith in her role as assistant minority leader under Capri Cafaro.

In 2010, Smith won election to a second term in the Senate, defeating Republican Burrell Jackson with 84.4% of the vote.[10]

Smith resigned a month prior to the end of her term.

2021 U.S. House campaign
Main article: 2021 Ohio's 11th congressional district special election

On January 19, 2021, Smith declared her candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2021 special election in Ohio's 11th congressional district.[11] She placed fifth with 583 votes, 0.8% of the 75,064 total votes cast, in the August 3 primary.[12]

Electoral history
Ohio Senate 21st District: Results 2006 to 2010
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2010 Shirley Smith 52,296 84.07% Burrell Jackson 9,908 15.93%
2006 Shirley Smith 54,492 85.22% Richard Norris 9,448 14.78%
Ohio House of Representatives 10th District: Results 1998 to 2004
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2004 Shirley Smith 26.174 100.00% Unopposed
2002 Shirley Smith 14,908 100.00% Unopposed
2000 Shirley Smith 26,947 87.20% Ronnie Jones 3,959 12.80%
1998 Shirley Smith 18,969 86.15% Dominic Rini 3,049 13.85%

Personal life

Smith is divorced with two children. She lives in Cleveland, but also owns property in South Euclid, Ohio.

References
  1. "Shirley Smith | Ohio Statehouse". www.ohiostatehouse.org. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. Taft, Robert II. "Ohio House of Representatives: May 3, 1998 Official Results". Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  3. Taft, Robert II. "Ohio House of Representatives: November 3, 1998". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  4. Blackwell, Kenneth. "Ohio House of Representatives: November 7, 2000". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  5. Blackwell, Kenneth. "Democratic State Representative Official Tabulation: May 7, 2002". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  6. Blackwell, Kenneth. "State Representative Official Tabulation: November 5, 2002". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  7. Blackwell, Kenneth. "Ohio House of Representatives: November 2, 2004". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  8. Blackwell, Kenneth. "Democratic Ohio Senate: May 6, 2006". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  9. Blackwell, Kenneth. "Ohio Senate: November 7, 2006". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  10. Brunner, Jennifer. "Ohio Senate: November 2, 2010". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  11. Richardson, Seth A.; clevel; .com (2021-01-19). "Shirley Smith, former Ohio senator, announces bid for 11th Congressional District". cleveland. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  12. White, Isaac; Lee, Jasmine (3 August 2021). "Ohio Special Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
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