A Democrat for four decades before seeking elective office, Smith switched his registration in 2011 and ran for the United States Senate in the 2012 election as a Republican,[1][2] losing to the incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey Jr. Smith was born on October 20, 1947.

[4] In 1989, he purchased and ran a coal mine, after raising the money by mortgaging his existing property.

[4] Smith said that his company was "mining more than a million tons of a coal" per year and employed over 100 people.

In 1975, the Plumcreek board voted to increase the real estate tax rate from 6 to 8 mills.

[12] In the five-person primary, Smith was initially viewed as a long-shot due to Sam Rohrer's name recognition,[13] and the Pennsylvania Republican Party's endorsement of Steve Welch.

[19] On September 7, 2012, Smith released the full text of his five-point economic plan entitled, Restoring the American Dream.

[20][21] The major points of his plan focused upon reducing federal spending and easing domestic energy production.