Bob Smither

Bob Smither (born August 26, 1944) was the Libertarian Party nominee for the 2006 special election in Texas's 22nd congressional district.

Biography

Bob Smither is a fifth generation Texan who has lived in Houston, Texas since 1960. Smither and his wife Gay have two children, David and Laura, the latter deceased. Currently, Bob, Gay, and David reside in the Friendswood area. They attend the Episcopal Church.http://bobsmither.com/radiospots

Education and Career

Smither holds a Ph.D in electrical engineering from the University of Houston. He has taught as an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of Houston for 14 years.

Smither worked for NASA, General Electric, Mandrel Products, and GeoSource before incorporating Circuit Concepts, Inc. an engineering consulting firm where he is currently the president, in 1978.

Community Service

Smither has consistently been active in the local community. He served on the Board of Directors of the Armand Bayou Nature Center, an organization committed to preserving habitat along the Armand Bayou. In 1997, following the kidnapping and murder of their daughter Laura, Smither and his wife Gay founded the Laura Recovery Center for missing children in Friendswood. Additionally, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Houston Regional Amber Plan, a community notification system that has saved the lives of abducted children.

Politics

Bob Smither is a fiscally conservative libertarian [http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2009/3-cd-22-candidates-appear-in-chamber-near-debate-while-1-watches-from-sidelines] . A former Republican, Smither discovered the Libertarian Party in 1972, finding that he shared the Libertarian principles of personal responsibility and individual freedom. He has been active in the party since that time, and in 2006 ran for the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 22nd Congressional District.

2006 Campaign

The resignation of Republican Congressman Tom DeLay in 2006 gave an unexpected boost to Libertarian prospects in the 22nd District. This was caused by DeLay's resignation and the subsequent defeat of the Republican Party in Federal Court when they attempted to nominate another Republican to the ballot. The courts ruled that the Republican Party could not name a replacement candidate for DeLay, leaving them with no nominee on the November 2006 ballot. The 22nd District traditionally has voted Republican.

Due to the court ruling the only candidates on the ballot were Smither and Democrat Nick Lampson. As a result, some analysts believed that Smither could draw unprecedented support from Republican voters as an alternative to Lampson.

Republican Precinct Chairs named Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs of Clear Lake as a write-in candidate for the seat on August 17, 2006.

Because a write-in campaign for the House of Representatives has never succeeded in Texas, some Republicans were rightly concerned that a write-in campaign would divide the conservative vote, making it more likely that Democrat Nick Lampson will be elected. Chief among the concerns of many conservatives was the fact that Nick Lampson would likely vote for Democrat Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House. Smither's supporters pointed out to conservatives that he pledged to vote for Republican leadership in the House.

Promoting his commitment to transparency in government, Smither also signed the “Punch Clock Agreement,” a contract promising Texas Congressional District 22 voters that, if elected, he would publish his daily official work schedule on the Internet, including the names of everyone he met with and the events he attended.

Bob Smither lost both the Special and General Elections on November 7th, 2006. He received 18% of the vote in the special election, coming in second place, and 6% of the vote in the general election, coming in third place. Though Smither was unable to strengthen his share of the vote because of the absence of a Republican candidate as much as libertarians had hoped, the Republican write-in campaign was unsuccessful and Lampson won the general election.

Endorsements

* Former Republican Congressman, Bob Barr (R-GA)
* Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner
* Patrick Dixon, City Councilor, Lago Vista, Texas
* Redstate.com, a conservative blog
* GOPProgress.org, a conservative blog
* WWE wrestler Glen Jacobs (aka 'Kane')

External links

* "Bob Smither's Campaign website" - http://www.BobSmither.com/
* "Bob Smither's Campaign Blog" - http://www.smither.net/bb/
* "Reason Online editorial article" - http://www.reason.com/hod/sm081706.shtml
* "Washington Times article" - http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060816-112754-1215r.htm
* "Interview with Bob Smither about the Laura Recovery Center" - http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0206/15/cst.06.html