Melinda S. Smyser (born October 29, 1958) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Idaho Senate The Idaho Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 35 Senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Composition of t ...

from 2009 to 2012, representing District 11. Smyser previously served as Director of the

Idaho Department of Labor The Idaho Department of Labor is a state agency in Idaho. The agency is responsible for economic development, labor relations, workforce, technology, volunteerism, and workforce development. It also processes requests for unemployment benefits ...

and currently serves as the director of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy.

Early life and education

Smyser was born in Caldwell, Idaho and raised in Middleton, where she graduated from Middleton High School. Smyser received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

with a double major in C/T/Design and Education and Extension from the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

. She also received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Education and Counseling from the

College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rh ...

Career

Smyser began her career a teacher in the Wilder School District. She worked as a counselor at the Parma School District from 1984 to 1989, and at Caldwell Alternative High School Counselor from 1989 to 1997. She served as the Public Relations coordinator for the Caldwell School District from 1998 to 2000. Smyser was an Idaho

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

for the

2008 United States presidential election The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...

for

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

. She also served as the

Canyon County, Idaho Canyon County is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 231,105, making it the second-most populous county in Idaho. The county seat is Caldwell, Idaho, Caldwell, and its largest ...

Republican Party Chair. Since June 2020 Smsyer serves has Canyon County Republican Party Committeewoman. In 2014, she managed

Jim Risch James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kem ...

's Senate re-election campaign. She worked in his Senate office as Southwest Regional Director from 2012 to 2017. She was one of Idaho's four GOP presidential electors in the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

until December 15, 2016, where she was informed that she is constitutionally barred as a federal employee from serving as an electors. (She at the time worked for Senator

) She was replaced by her husband C. A. "Skip" Smyser.

Senate

In 2009, Smyser was appointed to represent Idaho's 11th legislative district which encompasses both

Gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

and

Canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

counties after

Brad Little Bradley Jay Little (born February 15, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2009 to 2019 and as an Ida ...

was appointed

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. In 2010 she was elected with 10,386 votes (73.3%) against

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Shannon L. Forrester and independent Kirsten Faith Richardson. On March 5, 2012, Smyser announced that she would not be seeking re-election; since redistricting would have forced a primary contest with fellow Republican Senator

Patti Anne Lodge Patti Anne Lodge (born July 29, 1942) is a Republican Idaho State Senator representing District 11 since 2012. She previously represented District 13 of the Idaho Senate from 2002 to 2012 and District 11 from 2000-2002. Early life and career ...

in the newly redrawn District 11, stating "I have every intention to stay involved and I will announce my future plans soon."

Later career

Smyser was seen as a potential candidate in the 2018 Idaho election for lieutenant governor. On September 29, 2017, Governor

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...

announcing that Smyser would replace Ken Emmunds as Director of the Idaho Department of Labor. In 2019, she was appointed by Governor

to serve as Director of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy. Smyser was an elector in the Electoral College in 2016 and 2020, both times voting for Donald Trump.

Personal life

Smyser is married to C. A. "Skip" Smyser, an attorney and businessman who serves as the founder and CEO of Lobby Idaho, LLC, a lobbying firm based in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

. They have four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyser, Melinda 1958 births Living people College of Idaho alumni Republican Party Idaho state senators People from Caldwell, Idaho University of Idaho alumni Women state legislators in Idaho 2008 United States presidential electors 2016 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Middleton, Idaho People from Parma, Idaho State cabinet secretaries of Idaho 2020 United States presidential electors