Andy Smith | |
---|---|
Member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives from the 25B district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Liz Boldon |
Personal details | |
Born | May 24, 1991 |
Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
Spouse | Anna |
Residence | Rochester, Minnesota |
Education |
Moody Bible Institute (
BA) Westminster Seminary California ( MDiv) |
Occupation | |
Website | Government website Campaign website |
Andrew Smith (born May 24, 1991) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Smith represents District 25B in southeastern Minnesota, which includes downtown Rochester in Olmsted County. [1] [2]
Smith attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in theology. He then attended Westminster Seminary California for his Master of divinity. [1]
In 2019, Smith opened Gray Duck Theater in Rochester, a microcinema that showed independent and retro films. [3] The theater permanently closed in February 2023 due to challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, with Smith filing for bankruptcy in April 2023. [4] [5] He and his wife also own a pair of bookstores in Rochester. [3]
Smith was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. He first ran after legislative redistricting and after one-term DFL incumbent Liz Boldon announced she would run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate. [1] [6]
Smith serves on the Economic Development Finance and Policy, Health Finance and Policy, Sustainable Infrastructure Policy, and Taxes Committees. [1]
In January 2023, after a hearing on a bill codifying the right to an abortion , activists from the group Minnesota Right to Life targeted Smith and fellow representative Tina Liebling, following them from the committee room while filming and shouting at them. [7] Smith, who was raised in a conservative Christian home, said he used to oppose abortion but now believes "women and those who are pregnant should have control over their own body and their medical decisions". [7]
Smith has criticized the war on drugs and the crackdown on marijuana and psilocybin. [8] He authored a bipartisan proposal in 2023 that formed a Psychedelic Medicine Task Force to advise the legislature on the legal, medical, and policy issues associated with legalizing psychedelic medicine in the state. [8] The bill passed as part of the 2023 health budget and Smith was appointed to serve on the task force. [9] [10]
Smith spoke in favor of the DFL's paid family and medical leave proposal, saying, "we are lagging behind the rest of the world". [11] He supported legislation banning the discredited practice of conversion therapy on minors and vulnerable adults, responding to questions about religious liberty by saying, "this freedom [of religious expression] is not a freedom to harm". [12] In 2020, Smith said he supported citywide masking mandates in Rochester to help contain the spread of COVID-19. [13]
Smith has advocated for a more equitable tax policy to avoid forcing "local people to make those decisions that they sent us here to make". [14] He co-sponsored legislation to repeal a gag order on studying high-speed rail options between the Twin Cities and Rochester, saying passenger rail for southern Minnesota is "long overdue". [15]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | Andrew Smith | 10,040 | 64.04 | |
Republican | John Joseph Robinson | 5,634 | 35.94 | |
Write-in | 3 | 0.02 | ||
Total votes | 15,677 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic (DFL) hold |
Smith lives in Rochester, Minnesota, with his wife, Anna. [1]