Growing up in public housing in southwest Georgia, Jesse Smith experienced life in the clutches of poverty. Nearly 24 years after he made it out of the projects, he still remembers his early years, and they are the driving force behind his campaign to represent Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“It gave me a perspective from the inside looking out,” Smith said. “You think about poverty, and a lot of times, stereotype. We think about people who don’t want to work, don’t want to do anything, just want to lay around and collect a check. That wasn’t the case in my household.”
Smith’s grandparents taught him the importance of helping others escape the same circumstances he grew up in.
“There are people who meet the stereotype of not wanting to work,” Smith said. “I believe [in] being firm, but also being understanding that opportunities don’t come by everyone the exact same.”
After 14 years of active duty military service, Smith decided to run for Congress because he doesn’t feel the will of Alabamians is being represented in Washington, D.C., by Rep. Mike Rogers.
Smith said he never intended to run for office, but after multiple letters to Rogers went ignored, he mounted a campaign in 2014.
“I just find it hard to swallow that if he ignored me — and I’m willing to stand up and fight back — how many people has he already ignored that aren’t willing to stand up and fight back?” Smith said.
Rogers defeated Smith in the 2014 election, but Smith is back for another run.
One of his main goals is to strengthen the middle class and Alabama’s small businesses.
Smith wants to start by rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, which CNBC ranked 27th in the nation in 2013.
According to Smith, communities would see job growth as workers are hired to work on construction sites, and those workers would pour the money into local small businesses. Smith said funding would come from tax breaks for large corporations such as Hyundai, General Electric and Airbus, which have built factories in Alabama and use the state’s infrastructure for business, but often pay few or no taxes.
“If we want to attract businesses, I believe we have to let the business understand, ‘We need you to come in and be part of the solution to the problem,’” Smith said. “What value is that to the people when you have a corporation that is not paying their fair share?”
Smith also advocates cutting military spending, but not in the areas where troops and veterans would be affected. He said he saw “massive waste” during his time in the military, primarily at the hands of civilian contractors. Smith said these contractors often raise prices when dealing with the government, and eliminating the middle man would provide money needed for the progressive policies he and Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., whom Smith supports in the presidential campaign, have proposed.
As a former Army officer who is married to an Army captain and also has two children in the military, Smith is a proud gun owner. While he does not support a ban on assault weapons, he does believe universal background checks and training should be required before purchasing a firearm.
“I believe that’s an appropriate step forward,” Smith said. “I don’t think it would be infringing on anyone’s constitutional rights. I don’t think it would infringe on my rights.”
Just as Sanders has cast himself as a grassroots candidate against the political establishment on the national level, Smith said he is running a local campaign fueled by ideas, not money or political prowess.
He raised more than $9,000 in the 2014 election and said he has spent less than $500 on this year’s campaign.
Despite limited resources, Smith believes the ideals instilled in him as a child living in poverty and as a military officer make him the best choice to represent the people of East Alabama, whom he feels have been abandoned by their current representative in Washington.
“What I bring to the table is not only leadership, but an individual who’s willing to be held accountable and answer those hard questions,” Smith said. “To not run from the responsibilities that come with the duty of representing people of many demographics.”
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