30-year-old Sarah Smith says she worked at a mechanic garage in Renton up until two weeks ago when she left to focus on her congressional campaign full time.
The first-time candidate is challenging longtime Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington’s heavily Democratic 9th district, which includes parts of King and Pierce counties.
Inspired by the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, Sarah Smith was nominated to run by a group called ‘Brand New Congress,’ formed by former Sanders staffers and volunteers.
Their list of recruited candidates includes the now well-known name Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who unseated Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley of New York during the June primary.
“Alex's win was historic, and it hit right in the gut. I'm so proud of her,” said Smith.
“It was such a big deal for her and for all of us. And we say it all the time, but when one of us wins on the slate, all of us wins,” she continued.
Sarah Smith attended a candidate training with Ocasio-Cortez and other ‘Brand New Congress’ candidates. She says the group’s primary victories have given her own campaign momentum, along with a recent endorsement by The Stranger, the Seattle paper known for its election season influence among progressive voters.
“This is a national message that resonates with hundreds of thousands of people across coast-to-coast,” said Smith.
“I think people have been spending enough time feeling disenfranchised watching representatives who are slow to move, waffle on major positions, who don't dig in their heels, who don’t bring a bold strong vision with them to Congress.”
Democratic Incumbent Adam Smith, who has spent the past 22 years in Congress is seeking a 12th term. He doesn’t see a comparison to the race in New York.
“I’m focused on the 9th district; I’m focused on my race, and I know—running elections for quite awhile—that you can’t ever take it for granted, and I don’t," said Rep. Smith.
“I think the people of the 9th district deserve a representative who's going to fight for them, and I have a great record of doing that, and I’m connected to the community,” he continued.
Smith, a prosecutor and state senator before running for Congress, says he’s lived in the district his entire life. He points out his challenger lives outside the district.
Sarah Smith says she rented a home in South Seattle when she launched the campaign but had to move to Kent recently, just outside the 9th district’s boundaries.
Both Smiths support progressive policy positions such as raising the minimum wage and Medicare for All. Congressman Smith disagrees that his challenger by the same last name has pushed him farther to the left.
“I'm the same person I've always been,” he said.
But one difference between the two is campaign donations. Sarah Smith says she’s only accepting donations from individual people.
“The thing that really gets people to open their doors and talk to us is when we tell them we don't take any corporate money, we don't have any deep-pocketed donors, we are completely funded by working class people,” she said.
“It’s really important for people to hear that message and know there are candidates out there who believe in a system that doesn’t require corporate money or lobbyists' influence,” she continued.
Adam Smith, meanwhile, says he wants to hold corporations accountable and stand up for workers, but adds he’s not against business.
“Wherever you get your money from, you better stand for your district, not for your donors, and I do,” said Rep. Smith. “But, to say all corporations are evil is wrong. I’ll hold them accountable, but look, in the United States of America, we need to have businesses growing the economy and creating jobs.”
In addition to challenger Sarah Smith, Rep. Smith is facing a challenge from Republican Doug Basler who ran in 2014 and 2016 and advanced to the general both years.
The diverse 9th district includes neighborhoods in South Seattle, Bellevue, the Port of Tacoma, Renton, Kent, Tukwila, Des Moines and Federal Way.
