Common Sense, Progressive Leadership
Adam Smith was born in Washington, D.C. Adopted as an infant, he was raised in SeaTac, Washington where his father, Ben, worked as a ramp serviceman at SeaTac Airport and was active in the local Machinists’ Union. His mother, Leila, stayed at home raising Adam and his two brothers. Adam attended Bow Lake Elementary, Chinook Middle School, and Tyee High School. After a year at Western Washington University, Adam transferred to Fordham University, where he worked his way through college loading trucks for United Parcel Service and graduated with a degree in Political Science. Following his graduation, Adam attended the University Of Washington School Of Law. He later worked in both private and public practice, first as a lawyer at Cromwell, Mendoza, and Belur, and then as a prosecutor for the City of Seattle. As a prosecutor, Adam focused on drunk driving and domestic violence cases and then went on to work as a judge pro tempore.
During his final year at UW School of Law, Adam decided to run for the State Senate in the 33rd Legislative District where he grew up. He campaigned door to door, eventually doorbelling the entire district twice and defeating the 16 year incumbent. When he took office in January 1991, Adam was 25 years old and the youngest State Senator in the country. While in the State Senate, Adam served on the Education and Law and Justice Committees, and served as Chair of the Law and Justice Committee. Despite the strong Republican tide in 1994, Adam was re-elected to the State Senate and his victory helped the Democrats retain control of the State Senate by one seat. During his time in the State Senate, Adam developed a reputation as a legislator with a thoughtful and common sense approach to governance.
In 1996, Adam decided to run for Washington State’s 9th Congressional District. The District, which had been newly created after the 1990 census, was drawn as a swing-district by Washington State’s bi-partisan redistricting commission. The District lived up to that reputation by electing a Democrat in 1992 and a Republican in 1994. Adam ran against incumbent Randy Tate in one of the most closely watched races in the country, defeating Tate 50%-47%.
Adam married Spokane native Sara Bickle-Eldridge, a graduate of the University of Washington and Seattle University School of Law. Their daughter, Kendall Charlotte, was born in July 2000, followed by their son, Jack Evers, in June 2003. The Smiths live in Bellevue, where their children attended Issaquah Middle School and Issaquah High School and participated in local sports leagues and school clubs. Kendall recently graduated from the University of Washington and Jack is in his third year at Washington State University. Both Adam and Sara are involved in their community and their children’s schools, with their highlights being Adam’s time as a recreational soccer coach and Sara’s two terms as PTA President.