Edward "Smitty" Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edward "Smitty" Smith
Personal details
Born	1980 Washington, D.C. United States
Political party	Democratic
Education	Brown University (BA) Harvard University (LLB)
Occupation	Attorney
Website	Smitty for AG

Edward H. "Smitty" Smith II (born 1980) is an American lawyer. He once ran to be the Attorney General for Washington, D.C. He also worked as an advisor for the FCC, which helps manage communication rules.

Smitty Smith's Early Life and Education

Smitty Smith was born in Washington, D.C., in 1980. He grew up in the neighborhoods of Congress Heights and LeDroit Park. His family moved to D.C. in 1943. He is the third generation of his family to live in the city.

His father taught physics at Ballou High School. His mother worked for the United States government. Smitty earned scholarships to attend the Beauvoir School and the Potomac School.

He then went to Brown University and earned a bachelor's degree with honors. While there, he was the captain of the track team. Later, he earned a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Smitty Smith's Career and Public Service

Smitty Smith started his legal career at a law firm in Washington, D.C., called Hogan & Hartson. After several years, he left to work on Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008.

After the election, he helped with the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Then, he joined the Department of Commerce. There, he focused on helping low-income communities grow economically.

Helping Communities with Internet Access

At the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Smitty became a Program Director. He led a program that helped expand internet services. This program used money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

It helped bring broadband internet to rural areas and places that didn't have good access. It also improved internet for public safety groups. The program even helped families get financial aid to switch from old analog TV to digital TV.

Working at the FCC

Later, Smitty joined the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). He was a Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel for a special team. This team worked on how to share radio waves for communication.

They looked at whether to limit how much big companies like Verizon and AT&T could bid for these waves. This was to make sure smaller companies could also get access. In 2014, Smitty spoke in favor of these limits. The FCC leaders then voted to approve them.

After His Campaign

After running for Attorney General, Smitty worked for the D.C. government. He managed the District of Columbia's Justice Grants Administration. He then returned to the FCC as an advisor.

Later, he joined the law firm DLA Piper. He won an award for his work representing T-Mobile. Smitty also works with DC Vote, a group that supports voting rights for D.C. residents. He is on the board of the We the People Project. This group works for "full and equal citizenship" for people living in D.C. and U.S. territories.

Running for D.C. Attorney General

On July 12, 2014, Smitty Smith announced he would run for D.C. Attorney General. He made the announcement at his grandmother's old home in the Shaw neighborhood.

The Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the city. They give legal advice to the D.C. government. They also represent the city in court.

His Campaign Ideas

Smitty believed the D.C. juvenile justice system needed changes. He thought the Attorney General should work closely with the Council of the District of Columbia. He disagreed with the current Attorney General about a budget law.

His campaign gathered 6,500 signatures to get his name on the ballot. Only 3,000 were needed. He also raised over $185,000 for his campaign. Most of this money came from outside donors.

Smitty spoke about D.C. statehood. He said that denying D.C. residents full rights because it's politically hard is not fair. He believed citizens should always have their fundamental rights.

A poll in October showed Smitty tied for second place with two other candidates. Karl Racine was in the lead. Smitty's campaign tried to get two rivals to drop out to help "consolidate the anti-Racine vote," but they did not.

Who Supported Him?

Many groups supported Smitty Smith's campaign:

• Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO
• Jews United for Justice, a progressive Jewish nonprofit
• D.C. Police Union
• D.C. Working Families
• Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, an association of LGBT Democrats
• Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ

Election Outcome

Smitty Smith came in second place in the election for Attorney General. He received 21.12% of the votes. The winner was Karl Racine, who received 40.65% of the votes.