Harri Anne Smith (born January 20, 1962) is a former independent member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 29th District from 1998 to 2018. She has been elected to three terms in the state senate and is also a former mayor of her hometown of Slocomb, in the

Wiregrass Region The Wiregrass region or Wiregrass country is an area of the Southern United States encompassing parts of southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. The region is named for the native ''Aristida stricta'', commonly known ...

Early life, education, and early political career

Smith was born in

Houston County, Alabama Houston County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 107,202. Its county seat is Dothan, which is located on the border and partially in adjacent Henry County. Ho ...

and graduated from Slocomb High School. She has a B.A. in business administration from

Troy State University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

. She was executive vice president of Friend Bank. She was a member of the board of directors and served as president of Slocomb National Bank. She started her political career in 1989 as an appointed member of the Slocomb City Council. She was then elected to the Slocomb city council (non-partisan) and elected mayor in 1996.

Alabama Senate

Elections

In 1998, she challenged Republican state senator Chip Bailey of Alabama's 29th senate district. She defeated him in the primary 47%-44%. In November, she defeated Democratic nominee Mac Palmer 61%-39%. In 2002, she won re-election to a second term unopposed. In 2006, she won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic nominee Ronnie Helms 75%-25%. Smith ran in the Republican primary for in 2008, losing to

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Jay Love Jay K. Love, Jr. (born August 24, 1968) is a Republican former member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 74th District from November 2002 until his resignation in August 2013. He represented part of Montgomery. Biogra ...

. Afterwards, she endorsed the Democratic nominee,

Bobby Bright Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (born July 21, 1952) is an American former lawyer, farmer, and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative and was previously the three term Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. He served from 2009 to 2011 as the Represe ...

—a decision which nearly got her expelled from the Geneva County Republican Executive Committee. The Republican Party of Alabama barred her from running for reelection to her state senate seat as a Republican in 2010; her endorsement of Bright violated a state party bylaw which bars an elected Republican from endorsing a candidate from another party when a Republican is running. However, in June she garnered enough signatures in her district to run as an independent. She won re-election to a fourth term, defeating Republican challenger George Flowers 55%-45%. A month before the election, she had been indicted on federal charges of bribery and corruption.Griffin, Lance
Smith goes back in as independent in Senate 29
. The Dothan Eagle, 2010-11-02. Smith was found not guilty and was acquitted of all charges in March 2012. Notwithstanding her disagreements with (and expulsion from) the Republican Party, Smith

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

es with them on issues.

Committee assignments

* Commerce, Transportation, and Utilities * Confirmations (vice chair) * Health * Local Legislation Number 1 * Tourism and Marketing * Veterans and Military Affairs

Personal life

Her husband, Charlie Smith, is a native of Geneva County, Alabama and serves as a colonel in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

. Harri Anne and Charlie live in Slocomb, where they are members of the First Baptist Church.

References

External links

Alabama State Legislature – Senator Harri Anne Smith
official government website
Project Vote Smart – Senator Harri Anne Smith (AL)
profile * ''Follow the Money'' – Harri Anne Smith *
200620021998
campaign contributions
News Release On Senator Smith's Bright Endorsement from the ALGOP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Harri Anne 1962 births Living people Alabama city council members Alabama state senators Women mayors of places in Alabama Alabama Independents Mayors of places in Alabama People acquitted of corruption People from Geneva County, Alabama People from Houston County, Alabama Troy University alumni Women state legislators in Alabama Alabama Republicans Women city councillors in Alabama 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Candidates in the 2008 United States elections