Robert C. Smith - Political Career

Political Career

Smith relocated to New Hampshire, and unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. However, he ran again two years later, and won election, going on to represent New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to December 1990. He was elected to the Senate in 1990 to succeed the retiring Republican Senator Gordon J. Humphrey. He began to serve in December 1990 because he was appointed to the position early following Humphrey's resignation. The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, concerning the fate of possible missing or captured Americans in Vietnam, became Smith's major issue in Congress in 1985, partly spurred on by his growing up without knowing how his own father died in World War II. Smith helped create, and served as vice-chairman of, the 1991–1993 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. Smith was reelected in 1996 and served until 2003. In his 1996 reelection campaign he defeated Democrat Dick Swett with 49% of the vote. Smith had established himself as the most conservative Senator from the Northeast, and Bill Clinton's coattails nearly caused his defeat.

In January 1999,at Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, Smith announced that he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president (at the time the front-runner was Texas Governor George W. Bush). In July, after failing to gain any ground in the presidential race, Smith announced he was leaving the Republican Party and would seek the nomination of the U.S. Taxpayers Party for president. One month later, Smith swore off the Taxpayers Party and announced as an independent. He withdrew completely from the race in October and endorsed Bush.

In the meantime, Sen. John Chafee (R-R.I.) had died and thus the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works had reopened. Smith recanted his repudiation of the Republican party, claiming it had been "a mistake" and claiming that since he had never officially changed his voting registration that he had never left the party. Smith then was appointed as Chafee's successor to the chairmanship.

In 2000, Smith attempted to assist the Miami-based family of Elián González after Elián was returned to his father's custody by accompanying them to the entrance of Andrews Air Force Base, where Elián was being held; they were turned away.

In 2002, Smith was defeated in the Republican primary by John E. Sununu and moved to Sarasota, Florida, after his defeat to sell real estate.