Sean Smith

Sean Smith was born in Pomona, California. He earned a high school diploma from Don Antonio Lugo High School and a bachelor's degree from the California State University, Long Beach in 1991. Smith's career experience includes working as a consultant and entrepreneur.[1]

House of Representatives District 34

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U.S. House Missouri District 5

Sean Smith did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased June 9, 2024

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

New to politics after a successful career in software. Currently Jackson County Legislator working to FIX our flawed property tax system.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

SUCCESS for every household. This includes fighting inflation, lowering gas and utility costs and ensuring the dream of home ownership is within reach for anyone with a modest income.SAFETY - Taking a play from Bill Clinton’s playbook, we need to add 200,000 cops to our streets in the US. Recent events have damaged the honorable career of being a police officer. A NATIONAL response is required to add new officers who are committed to keeping our communities safe. Locally raising police wages is a good start but will only result in officers moving between jurisdictions for higher wages. A national program to recruit, train and equip more officers is needed.SECURITY - Safety in our neighborhoods can only be achieved if we have a good NATIONAL security policy. Our open border is allowing drugs, terrorists and criminals to arrive in the United States. The cartels are at the heart of the drug issues in our nation and the border must be secured. This will require more resources to close the border to illegal immigration AND to properly vet legal immigrants who are vital for our economy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Home Affordability (1) Property Taxes and their impact on home affordability. And home affordability in general. As a Legislator I have fought for thousands of homeowners who are improperly taxed on their homes. This causes massive hardship for families and those on fixed incomes. (2) We also have an affordability problem that is exacerbated by excess investment in single family homes by foreign investors and large hedge funds. This must be curtailed by federal policy.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

John Maxwell - not political but a leadership expert who taught me decades ago about servant leadership and fostering your replacement to become better than you without ego interfering in that principle.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity is critical. I have served with integrity by actively avoiding any conflict of interest or personal benefit from serving. In my time as a Legislator I see how the institutions seek to draw elected officials into their sphere of influence. Any special privilege for elected officials that exceeds what is done for the common citizen should be avoided. Being indebted can cause an elected official to become vulnerable to undue influence.

A Servant Leader - my goal is to serve those who I represent. Placing their interest above my own. I have sacrificed personal wealth, future income, time with family and lifestyle flexibility as an elected official. These sacrifices have been rewarded by the deep appreciation for constituents who I’ve helped. I feel live serving is a bit of an “addiction” for me and I love it.

Rational Independent Policy Positions - My first allegiance is to the nation, not a party or any special influences. This means LISTENING to hear the perspective of constituents, LEARNING about policy options and DECIDING not based upon “party unity” or being “helped” by a special interest.

I am proud that I have worked toward policies based upon my own INDEPENDENT judgement and that I am not afraid to admit when I need to learn more before making a decision.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To place the well-being of our nation and our citizens first in decision making. Utilizing the office, not for personal gain, as has become so common, and instead to focus on what you can do for constituents EVERY DAY.

Tireless work to help others is critical and I have demonstrated that this is who I am. This I chides openly communicating with constituents via many different channels. I provide my cell phone number to thousands of people to be as available as possible. I answer email and social media questions frequently throughout the day and night 7 days a week with just a few breaks for family time.

When someone is reaching out to their elected official, it’s likely they have exhausted other remedies. Those folks needing help can’t wait and should t have to. If Quick Trip can serve you 24x7, so should your government.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was deeply impacted by the Space Shuttle disaster. When a public school teacher was added to the crew it was a big event for our student body. We were watching live as the shuttle exploded. I was honored to be called upon to provide comfort for many of my fellow students.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I began working full-time as a High School student when I was 16. This was in a music and video rental retailer. Around that same time I also accepted part-time employment with a portable sound company. I kept that retail job and advanced into a management role during my final two years of high school and my years in college. In total I stayed at the retailer for 8 years and I still occasionally do portable sounds stage setup work, 4” years later.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The United States House of Representatives is the best “Legislative melting pot” in the world. Diversity of thought is the key attribute of the institution. Being able to disagree and be civil is a hallmark of my public service and I believe the US House needs more civility. Even those who look to pick fights with the other side are part of the diversity that is special about the house.

We also have such a large body (435 Representatives) in the house that it affords a unique chance to have folks with diverse expertise. We need fewer career politicians and more experts from diverse backgrounds to have the house flourish and be effective.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Some experience is helpful but spending a lifetime as an elected official severely hampers credibility and understanding of the everyday American experience.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our greatest challenge is the divisive nature of our politics. This is heightened by our divergent media & news sources including social media. I encourage everyone to seek out sources of information that have a view opposite your own. By seeking to UNDERSTAND those who disagree with us, I believe we can heal our nation divided and demonstrate strength in Unity and Rational Discourse in the future.

The “national divide” has huge impacts on our fiscal health, our individual mental health and our national security.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. Two years allows the citizenry to hold representatives accountable quickly. What we also need is term limits and voters willing to help their representatives accountable by replacing them when they fail to meet expectations. If your representative hasn’t helped your community substantially and RECENTLY the. Tell them you’ve had ENOUGH and vote them out.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I would like to see congressional term limits and I am happy to sign a term limiting pledge. Too often federal officials lose touch with their constituents back home and implement policies that benefit themselves and their donor-class connections. It’s time we force our elected officials to live with the policies they propagate for the general public.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Not a Representative but Mayor Richard Berkeley of Kansas City did a great job at helping the community flourish while working across party lines to ensure progress

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I’ve heard so many… Perhaps one of the most impactful that I never expected was a property tax appeal that I helped with. It was an elderly couple who required assistance. They were prevented from having a meeting online and were told a personal appearance was required. The wife was facing a surgery for a very dangerous form of cancer and could not be near large groups of people due to fear of being exposed to illness that could delay her surgery date.

The stress of the cancer and facing a massive tax increase was not a good combination.

I was able to meet them outside at their home, get their information and represent them at their meeting with a fair outcome that should’ve been obvious and should have been handled before it reached a critical, possibly life threatening point.

The callousness of the administrative process was unbelievable to me and I am convinced that we need to take steps to ensure our civil servants don’t dehumanize our citizens when they need help.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. Compromise is critical but must be based in rational, thoughtful outcomes. Clear communication and transparency are critical to ensure mutually acceptable outcomes.

As a County Legiskator, I have served in a “super-minority” but have found many items of agreement. I tend to focus on solveable problems instead of partisan bickering on items that will remain intractable until society moves toward a common understanding.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I am a strong advocate for reducing individual tax burdens. I believe this can be achieved by increasing more revenue from foreign entities who do business in the United States. I also think that Federal Income Tax on Cash Tips should be eliminated. The intrusive and pervasive nature of taxing cash transactions is inherently flawed by estimates and other nonsense that harms the work class.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

The US House should ensure that all portions of the Federal Government are accountable to the PEOPLE. The House is the People's House and should serve to ensure our institutions are accountable to the People if the United States.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None accepted, none sought. My independence from group think is critical to representing a diverse district.

What committees interest you?

Technology - as a 25+ year technology expert, I think we lack this expertise at the federal level. Tech is a huge component of our economy and our national security. It has been dramatically neglected due to a lack of expertise in Congress

Small Business- small businesses in America are critical for our growth and well being. Fostering entrepreneurs is a huge part of my overall focus and federal policy needs significant revision and simplification to encourage small business growth.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government should be 98% transparent. The only exception should be VERY NARROWLY focused issues of national security or specific privacy needs. With the technology now available to us, citizens should be able to see exactly where their tax dollars are going. Exactly who is benefiting and who is making decisions.

Our federal government is so large it is almost unmanageable. But one way to improve the ‘manageability’ of this behemoth is to crowdsource reviewing financial decisions to the public. Given the opportunity there are numerous folks who want to help reduce excess spending. Let’s allow them to help.

As a current Legislator, I’ve seen first hand how our administration has attempted to avoid providing access to information. The ONLY REASON such restrictions on information is guarded is to hide malfeasance.

Campaign website

Smith’s campaign website stated the following:

Safety

We all know that America has become less safe. With violent crime on the rise nationwide, we need the federal government to step-in and protect Americans from criminal behavior. Far-left prosecutors have stopped holding violent criminals accountable, and the hands of many police departments have been tied by the ‘Defund The Police’ movement. Congress must act to protect the safety of every American.

In defense of public safety, Sean Smith pledges to:

Support Law Enforcement with the tools they need to succeed

Pressure local prosecutors to bring charges against violent criminals

Crackdown on street riots and political violence

Support our second amendment right to self-defense

Increase funding for the FBI’s Violent Gang Task Forces

Security

Our nation must be protected from all threats, both foreign and domestic. We must secure our borders and stop the tide of illegal immigrants being trafficked into this country. American manufacturing must be reinvigorated to support domestic production. As of now, we are more reliant than ever on foreign nations. We can no longer allow the Chinese to manufacture our medications and we can no longer allow Russia and Iran to supply our oil. Our reliance on adversarial nations has become a national security threat.

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To ensure American security, Sean Smith pledges to:

Reduce reliance on imports of critical items from Microchips to Medications

Promote American energy independence

Protect our borders from illegal immigration and drug trafficking

End the ‘catch-and-release’ policy for illegal aliens

Fully fund the military to protect against threats from Russia, China, and Iran

Success

The American economy is built for every family to succeed, but government policy is holding us back from our potential. For decades the federal government has used a ‘tax-and-spend’ approach that robs taxpayers of their hard-earned income to fund failed programs run by special interest groups. The federal government must eliminate wasteful spending and cut taxes so that small businesses can grow and prosper. By cutting this wasteful spending we will be fighting back against the rampant inflation that has already stretched American families thin.

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To support our economic success, Sean Smith pledges to:

Control inflation by stopping wasteful spending

Improve Home Affordability by reducing taxes and accelerating construction

Improve access to skilled trade jobs

Cut government red-tape on small businesses

Support American manufacturing [2]

—Sean Smith’s campaign website (2024)[3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Proud Christian Conservative - business minded - compassionate. Limit government and keep problem solving at the simplest, most local level

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Property TAXES must be controlled or eliminatedGovernment must serve not ruleCriminal Justice must be effective

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice - holding criminals accountable & making neighborhoods safe

Sean Smith did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.