Jason Thomas Smith is an American politician and has been the representative for Missouri’s 8th congressional district since 2013. He is a registered Republican. Smith is running for reelection and is on he ballot for the Republican primary on August 2, 2022. 

Born on Jun 16, 1980 in Salem, Missouri, Smith completed high school in 1998 following which he attended the University of Missouri and had earned himself two degrees by the time he graduated at the age of 20, a Bachelor of Science in agriculture economics and a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He then went on to study law, at the Oklahoma City University, from which he graduated in 2004, he passed the Bar exam the same year. 

Smith entered politics in 2005 at the age of 25, barely old enough to be a state representative. However, he defeated Democrat Bobby Simpson and became the youngest member of the Missouri House of Representatives. From 2005 to 2013, Smith served in the state’s lower house either by winning against his Democrat opponents by large margins or simply running uncontested. 

In 2013, following the retirement of Representative Jo Ann Emerson from the Missouri 8th congressional district seat, a special election was held which led to Smith being selected as the Republican nominee. Once again, like in the state’s lower house, he won the special election, garnering 67.14% of the votes. In 2014, 17 months after the special election, Smith once again won the seat. Since then, he has been the Missouri district’s representative in Congress. 

Smith was part of a group of Republicans who signed their willingness to appear before a court hearing should  Texas be able to contest the voting procedures of the 2020 presidential elections. 

The U.S. primaries for Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington are set to be held on August 2, 2022. The mid-term elections are slated for November 8.