John Arthur Smith
John Arthur Smith is an American politician serving as a member of the New Mexico Senate, representing the 35th District since 1989.
In 2002 he sought to represent New Mexico's second congressional district when veteran congressman Joe Skeen announced that he was retiring. He defeated Las Cruces mayor Ruben Smith in the Democratic primary, but ultimately lost to Republican Steve Pearce 56 to 44 percent.Career
Smith chairs the Senate Finance Committee.. He has been nicknamed "Dr. No" for fiscal conservatism, breaking with his party to refuse funding for many spending programs. Critics have called Smith "the primary obstacle to more substantial investment in early childhood education" for his refusal to allow a vote on whether to withdraw 1% more each year from the state's $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund to fund early childhood programs.
Smith faces opposition in the 2020 Democratic primary from Neomi Martinez-Parra, a special education teacher and former New Mexico Democratic Party vice chair. In the July 2, 2020 primary, Smith lost to Martinez-Parra.
