Jason Smith | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Neal |
| Ranking Member of theHouse Budget Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Womack |
| Succeeded by | Brendan Boyle |
| Secretary of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Leader | Paul Ryan Kevin McCarthy |
| Preceded by | Virginia Foxx |
| Succeeded by | Richard Hudson |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's8th district | |
| Assumed office June 4, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jo Ann Emerson |
| Member of theMissouri House of Representatives | |
| In office November 14, 2005 – June 4, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Barnitz |
| Succeeded by | Shawn Sisco |
| Constituency | 150th district (2005–2013) 120th district (2013) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jason Thomas Smith (1980-06-16)June 16, 1980 (age 45) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Missouri (BS) Oklahoma City University (JD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Smith supporting the Expanding Seniors Receiving Dialysis Choice Act of 2016. Recorded September 20, 2016 | |
Jason Thomas Smith (born June 16, 1980) is an American businessman and politician who has been theU.S. representative forMissouri's 8th congressional district since 2013.[1] The district comprises 30 counties, covering just under 20,000 square miles of southeastern and southern Missouri.[2]
Before being elected to Congress, Smith served four full terms and one partial term in theMissouri House of Representatives. He was themajority whip during the 96thMissouri General Assembly[3] and as the speakerpro tempore during the 97th Missouri General Assembly.[4]
Smith was born inSt. Louis to Bill, a formerminister andauto mechanic, and Mary, a former employee ofBriggs & Stratton and adog breeder.[5] He graduated fromSalem High School in 1998.[6]
At age 20, Smith earned two degrees from theUniversity of Missouri: a Bachelor of Science in agriculture economics and a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He attended law school atOklahoma City University. He is a licensedreal estate agent and formed his own small business specializing in property investment and development. He earned hisJuris Doctor in 2004.[6][7]
After state representativeFrank Barnitz resigned in 2005, Smith ran for Missouri's 150th House District in a special election. The 150th covered portions ofDent,Phelps,Crawford, andReynolds counties. Smith defeated Democratic challenger Bobby Simpson 54%–44%.[8]
One year after being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in a special election, Smith defeated Democrat Jim O'Donnell 64%–32%.
In 2008, Smith received 70% of the vote, defeating Democrat James D. Ellis.[9]
In November 2010, Smith was unopposed in his reelection campaign to his fourth full term to the Missouri House of Representatives.[10] After his reelection, he was elected by his peers to serve as one of the youngest majority whips to serve in the Missouri House of Representatives.[11]
Smith was again unopposed in his final election to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2012.[12]
At age 25 upon taking office in 2005, Smith became the youngest member of theMissouri House of Representatives. During his first year in office, he served as Majority Assistant Deputy Whip[13] and served on the Agriculture Policy Committee, Appropriations—Education Committee and the Judiciary Committee.[13]
From 2007-2009, Smith served as the vice chair of the Special Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development.[14]
In 2011, Smith sponsored legislation to repeal a 2010-approvedreferendum, thePuppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, regarding oversight of dog breeding businesses requiring "daily feeding, annual veterinary care, increased living spaces and greater access to outdoor exercise".[15] GovernorJay Nixon, a Democrat, signed the repeal into law in 2011.[16]
In 2013, Smith was elected by his peers to serve as the speaker pro tempore.[17]
Smith ran for the vacant8th congressional district of Missouri seat afterU.S. RepresentativeJo Ann Emerson resigned to accept a CEO position with theNational Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Per Missouri statute, Smith was selected by the 8th District Republican Central Committee to be the party's nominee in the June special election. The selection process—which began with 27 candidates and narrowed to 13 on nomination day—lasted six total rounds before Smith was the last one standing as the Republican nominee on February 9, 2013. Some of the other candidates included state representativeTodd Richardson ofPoplar Bluff, former state treasurer of Missouri and U.S. representativeWendell Bailey, former state senatorJason Crowell ofCape Girardeau,Lieutenant GovernorPeter Kinder, former state treasurer of MissouriSarah Steelman, state representativeClint Tracy ofCape Girardeau, and state senator Wayne Wallingford ofCape Girardeau.
In the June special election, Smith was challenged byDemocratic state representativeSteve Hodges ofEast Prairie, businessman Doug Enyart of theConstitution Party, andLibertarian Bill Slantz. He was declared the winner of the special election on June 4.[18] The election marked the 47th consecutive U.S. House race in Missouri in which Democrats failed to pick up a Republican-held seat dating back to 1994 – the second longest Democratic pick-up drought in the nation.[19]
After an unopposed primary election on August 5, 2014[20] and 17 months after the special election, Smith was up for his first reelection on November 4, 2014. He won a five-way race with two-thirds of the vote and carried all 30 counties in the district.
In 2015, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling inObergefell v. Hodges, which held thatsame-sex marriage bans violated the constitution, Smith issued a statement decrying the decision. His statement included "As the son of a preacher, I have never wavered in my commitment to the biblical definition of marriage, and in our state, more than a million Missourians voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman."[21]
On March 8, 2017, Smith, during debate about a tanning salon tax under theAffordable Care Act, wondered aloud, "What I found on Google is roughly 80% of who's taxed is women... Today is International Women's Day. It's interesting no one is bringing that up." He continued, "You look at the number one cause of skin cancer... It's the sun. So I've noticed the people over here haven't found too many taxes they dislike. So why have they not proposed a tax on the sun?"[22]
Smith is a defender ofgun rights; on December 6, 2017, he voted for theConcealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, a bill that would allow individuals to cross state line while carrying a gun.[23]
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Smith had a role in writing and passing theTax Cuts and Jobs Act.[24]
On January 17, 2019, Smith shouted "Go back toPuerto Rico!" at House Democratic members on the House floor while RepresentativeTony Cardenas was presiding.[25] He later clarified and apologized to Cardenas and stated his remark was in reference to a recent trip taken to Puerto Rico by several lawmakers, including Cardenas, not to single out anyone's ethnicity.[26] His apology was accepted.[27]
Smith was present on the floor of the House chamber during the2021 storming of the United States Capitol. Smith recalls the events of the attack as rioters began to approach the chamber. As he fled the House chamber, he wore a gas mask and walked passed a woman incapacitated from a gunshot wound. He called the perpetrators' acts as violent, criminal, and unpatriotic.[28]
Smith opposesCOVID-19 vaccine mandates, tweeting in July 2021, "The Biden administration wants to knock down your door KGB-style to force people to get vaccinated. We must oppose forced vaccination!"[29]
On February 9, 2022, Smith announced he would seek reelection for a sixth term and pursue the chairmanship of theHouse Ways and Means Committee, forgoing arun for the United States Senate in the2022 midterm elections.[30]
Smith proposed legislation to increase penalties fortax returns data leaks, supported by a report onCharles E. Littlejohn authored by his Ways and Means Committee.[31]
In July 2025, Smith expressed support for Donald Trump's calls for more files to be released in investigations of theJeffrey Epstein client list, saying "the more transparency we can have the better."[32]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 42,141 | 67.14 | |
| Democratic | Steve Hodges | 17,207 | 27.42 | |
| Constitution | Doug Enyart | 2,265 | 3.61 | |
| Libertarian | Bill Slantz | 968 | 1.54 | |
| Write-In | Others | 185 | 0.29 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 106,124 | 66.7 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Stocker | 60,535 | 24.7 | |
| Independent | Terry Hampton | 6,821 | 4.3 | |
| Libertarian | Rick Vandeven | 3,759 | 2.4 | |
| Constitution | Doug Enyart | 3,799 | 2.4 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 229,792 | 74.4 | |
| Democratic | Dave Cowell | 70,009 | 22.7 | |
| Libertarian | Jonathan Lee Shell | 9,070 | 2.9 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 180,271 | 73.7 | |
| Democratic | Kathy Ellis | 60,535 | 24.7 | |
| Libertarian | Jonathan Lee Shell | 3,863 | 1.6 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 253,811 | 76.9 | |
| Democratic | Kathy Ellis | 70,561 | 21.4 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Schmitz | 5,854 | 1.8 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith | 186,472 | 76.0 | |
| Democratic | Randi McCallian | 53,738 | 21.9 | |
| Libertarian | Jim Higgins | 5,185 | 2.1 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jason T. Smith (incumbent) | 271,249 | 76.18 | |
| Democratic | Randi McCallian | 77,649 | 21.81 | |
| Libertarian | Jake Dawson | 7,166 | 2.01 | |
| Total votes | 356,064 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Smith is unmarried.[41] He is a close friend of former representativesKristi Noem[42] andAaron Schock,[43][44] and SenatorMarkwayne Mullin.[45][28]
Smith is a lifetime member of theNational Rifle Association of America.[46] He attends Grace Community Church in Salem, anAssemblies of God Church.[7] He was a board member of the Missouri Community Betterment Association,Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and president of the SalemFFA Association.[47]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)Aaron Schock's Tuesday began with a quiet early-morning stroll near the Capitol with his close friend, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 8th congressional district 2013–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee 2023–present | |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee 2023–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee 2025–present | Incumbent | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of the House Republican Conference 2017–2021 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 123rd | Succeeded by |
