Candidate Directory

To view the Candidate Directory for the Tennessee District 32 Special Election, click here.

Eddie Smith

House District13

Candidate Headshot
Incumbent or New

Incumbent

Party Affiliation

Republican

City

Knoxville

Candidate Email Address

voteeddiesmith@gmail.com

Campaign Website URL

voteeddiesmith.com

Campaign Facebook Page

facebook.com

Campaign Twitter Account

@RepEddieSmith


SURVEY QUESTIONS


QUESTION 1:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother?

Support

QUESTION 2:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would make either sexual orientation or gender identity/expression a new protected class under Tennessee’s civil rights laws?

Oppose

QUESTION 3:
Would you support or oppose a bill to amend Tennessee’s marriage statute to expressly authorize the issuance of marriage licenses to two people of the same sex?

Support

QUESTION 4:
Would you support or oppose legislation that would establish a $15 per hour minimum wage in Tennessee?

Oppose

QUESTION 5:
Would you support or oppose legislation to allow the state to defend public K-12 schools that are sued because they designate the use of locker rooms and bathrooms on the basis of biological sex instead of the gender by which a student identifies?

Support

QUESTION 6:
Do you support or oppose the proposition, advanced by a certain business coalition, that the bill described in question 5 is “discriminatory” and “would harm our economy and damage our state’s reputation”?

Oppose

QUESTION 7:
Currently, a majority of the Justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court select the state’s Attorney General and Reporter. Would you support or oppose an amendment to the state Constitution that allows the Legislature to elect the Attorney General and Reporter in the same manner that it elects the Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer?

Support

QUESTION 8:
Would you support or oppose an amendment to the state Constitution that allows the Governor to appoint the state’s Attorney General and Reporter subject to confirmation by the Legislature, as now happens with the appointment of the state’s Supreme Court Justices?

Support

QUESTION 9:
Would you support or oppose legislation, like Insure Tennessee proposed by Governor Haslam in 2015, that would expand Medicaid coverage in Tennessee beyond the Medicaid-eligible population?

Undecided

QUESTION 10:
Do you support or oppose the decision by the state’s Department of Health to disregard the state’s current adoption laws and allow a child’s original birth certificate to show that the child has two mothers simply because one of the women is married to the child’s biological mother?

Oppose

QUESTION 11:
Would you support or oppose a bill that would prohibit the state or local governmental entities from either giving preference to or discriminating against a business entity in awarding of grants or contracts based on whether the business has made sexual orientation or gender identity a protected status under its personnel policies, assuming that either of such statuses is not otherwise required by federal law?

Support

QUESTION 12:
Would you support or oppose legislation to award all of Tennessee’s Electors in a presidential election to the Party of the candidate who wins the national popular vote?

Oppose

QUESTION 13:
Do you support or oppose legalizing horse racing tracks in Tennessee at which bets can be placed on races?

Undecided

QUESTION 14:
There is a school of thought that the Constitution is a “living” document, meaning its various provisions are evolving and should be interpreted in the context of contemporary societal mores. Would you support or oppose a nominee to the Tennessee Supreme Court if there is credible evidence that the nominee believes the state or federal Constitution should be viewed or interpreted as a “living” document?

Oppose

QUESTION 15:
Would you support or oppose legislation to ensure that an adoption agency with a sincerely held belief that marriage is only one man and one woman would not lose its state license to make adoption placements if it only placed children in homes into which the marriage was of one man and one woman?

Support


ESSAY QUESTIONS


ESSAY QUESTION 1:
Explain your view of state government’s role in relation to economic growth and/or job creation.

Government creates either a positive or negative environment for business to create jobs. Higher taxes and more regulations cost business money that could otherwise be used to hire employees and employ Tennesseans. We've cut taxes, both personal and business taxes, and reduced regulations which has allowed business to hire more of our citizens.

ESSAY QUESTION 2:
What are your thoughts about a parent of a child in a low performing public school being provided a voucher equal to the amount of the state’s per-student expenditure that would be applied toward the child’s private school tuition?

I believe all children, regardless of their socio-economic status, should be given an opportunity to attend a school of their choice that will help them succeed and excel. Many children are served just fine in their public school, however, there are thousands of students in our state which are better served by either a charter school, a parochial school or private school and I believe parents know best which school setting is best for their child.

ESSAY QUESTION 3:
What is one of the most satisfying things you have ever done or accomplished and what made it so satisfying to you?

During the 2018 session I was able to pass the Recovery High Schools bill. In our state we have over 33,000 students that are using an opioid or heroin for non-medical reasons. With 1 out of every 8 high school students using these drugs it was important for us to look at how we can help students that enter a recovery program get their schooling back on track. We are working with school districts now in developing the parameters of how these schools will operate. We believe that we'll be able to help hundreds of students that otherwise would have dropped out of school, achieve a high school diploma and move on to achieving some sort of post-secondary education.

ESSAY QUESTION 4:
What personal qualities or experiences do you think will best serve you in your role as a state legislator?

Having served on staff a churches I have learned the importance of personal relationships. Without building relationships with your constituents you can't expect to serve them very well. I also believe that elected officials need to remember that they are servants of those who elected them.

ESSAY QUESTION 5:
What bill that passed in the last General Assembly would you have voted against and why, or what bill that was not passed in the last General Assembly do you wish had passed and why?

Chose not to answer