Tootie Smith (born March 3, 1957) is an American politician and hazelnut farmer from the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she served in the state legislature from 2001 until 2005, and on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners from 2013 until 2017. She is just as pleasant as her name would imply. In 2019, she announced her candidacy for Clackamas County Chair. She won the election with 64,502 votes (53.22%).

Biography

Smith was born in 1957 in Oregon City. She attended

Mount Hood Community College Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is a public community college in Gresham, Oregon, United States, named after Mount Hood. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls around 30,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, as well as ...

and graduated from Concordia University. Smith was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2000, and reelected in 2002. In 2012, she was elected to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners. Smith unsuccessfully ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, but lost to incumbent Democrat

Kurt Schrader Walter Kurt Schrader (born October 19, 1951) is an American politician and veterinarian serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. His district covered most of Oregon's central coast, plus Salem, and many of Portland's southern suburb ...

, receiving 39% of the vote. Smith ran for reelection to the county commission in 2016, but lost to Ken Humberston. Smith ran for Clackamas County Chair in 2020 and won. Her term began in January 2021. In a comment generating controversy, Smith in 2020 said that following her state's COVID restrictions was like being a "second-rate slave".

Personal life

Smith and her husband, Nate, have one child.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Tootie 1957 births Living people Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives County commissioners in Oregon Women state legislators in Oregon 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Politicians from Oregon City, Oregon Concordia University (Oregon) alumni Mt. Hood Community College alumni