James Emerson Smith Jr. (born September 9, 1967) is an American politician who served as a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1996 to 2019. Smith is a combat veteran and a serving officer in the

South Carolina Army National Guard The South Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the U.S. Army's available combat forces and approximat ...

, a small business owner, and a practicing attorney in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

. Smith was the Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, which he lost to incumbent governor

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since January 24, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. McMaster worked for U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, in ...

Early life and education

Smith was born on September 9, 1967, in

, the son of James E. Smith Sr and Nina Nelson Smith. Smith can trace military service in his family in every generation back to the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the University of South Carolina in 1990, and with a Juris Doctor degree from their

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, l ...

in 1995. Smith was then admitted to the South Carolina and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

bars.

Political career

Smith was first elected to represent the 72nd district (part of Richland County) in the

in 1996. Smith is considered an ally of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Joe Biden. He endorsed Biden in 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 f ...

. Smith was a favorite to run for Governor of South Carolina in 2010, before

Vincent Sheheen Vincent Austin Sheheen (born April 29, 1971) is an American attorney and politician. He was a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2004 to 2020, representing the 27th District, which comprises Chesterfield, Kershaw, and Lancaster counti ...

entered. Sheheen subsequently lost to Republican nominee Nikki Haley in the general election.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

In August 2017, Smith announced that he was taking steps towards a possible run for Governor of South Carolina in 2018. Political scientist Danielle Vinson said of the potential candidacy, "He’s a viable alternative. He is someone who disaffected Republicans who have had problems with issues of the last few weeks could turn to. He could tap a protest vote for Trump or Republicans in general." Smith was reportedly urged to run for governor by Joe Biden in April and then again in September. He appeared at the Chapin Labor Day Parade in early September, further stoking speculation that he would run for governor. Smith announced his candidacy on October 5, 2017, becoming the first Democrat in a race that already had four Republican candidates. In an interview shortly after Smith announced his candidacy, Biden spoke of Smith, saying "...this is a guy, I swear to God, that I would trust with anything. This is a guy who I watched, he never puts himself before anybody else." He described Smith and his late son

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bi ...

as "kindred spirits". He was joined on the ticket by nominee for lieutenant governor

Mandy Powers Norrell Mandy Powers Norrell (born July 12, 1973) is an American lawyer, politician and former Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Norrell formerly represented House District 44, which comprises the southern portion of Lanc ...

. Before the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Rep.

Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time m ...

endorsed his candidacy. On November 6, 2018, Smith was defeated by incumbent governor

. Smith held 46% of the popular vote to McMaster's 54%.

Military service

Smith joined the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a 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 Forces. Since July 2020 ...

in January 1996 as a

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called jud ...

(JAG) officer, transferring to the

in the same role in August 1998. In 2001, following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, Smith resigned his commission and enlisted as an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

man, beginning basic training. In February 2007, Smith deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

as an infantry officer, part of Operation Enduring Freedom. He served as a combat advisor to Afghan National Security Forces in remote areas of southern Afghanistan. During his 12-month tour, he received the Bronze Star Medal,

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

, and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

. He remains a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard, at the rank of major.

Legal career

Smith founded his law firm, James E. Smith, Jr., P.A. in 1995. It provides representation to people in South Carolina,

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The firm provides legal help to injured people, including members of the military, as well as

class action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

lawsuits and business law and litigation services. In 2022, Smith joined the law firm of Nelson Mullins as a partner. In 2024, Smith became a candidate for a state judgeship, which will be decided in an election by state legislators.

Electoral history

Personal life

Smith married Mary Kirkland Thomas on February 9, 1991. They have four children: Evie Emerson Smith, Thomas Bridges, Paul Bradford Jr, and Shannon Elizabeth. Smith is also a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and Church of the Apostles. From 2019 to 2022, Smith worked as the executive director of military strategies and programs for Palmetto College, University of South Carolina's online school program, while continuing as a private legal practitioner.

References

External links

Smith's website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, James E. Jr. 1967 births 21st-century American legislators United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Living people Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives National Guard (United States) officers South Carolina National Guard personnel United States Army reservists Candidates in the 2018 United States elections