CANDIDATE PROFILE: Travis Smith

Travis Smith, a Republican candidate for state senator (33rd district), shares information and answers questions before the August primary election.

Tell readers about yourself.

Currently I serve as state representative for the 155 ^th District which covers Douglas, Ozark, Stone and Taney Counties. I’m married to my beautiful wife Karen Smith and have four children and one grandson. I grew up in Southern Missouri where I started my own small business.

I’ve served on boards for multiple civic organizations and during that time came to learn that unless we sent good men and women to Jefferson City and Washington D.C. that nothing was going to change. During my four years in Jefferson City as a state representative I’ve led the fight in protecting our farmland, keeping crime out of our communities and sending illegal immigrants back to where they came from. Because of my record I am the only candidate for State Senate District 33 endorsed by the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri’s State Council of FireFighters and Missouri’s Fraternal Order of Police.

With nearly two decades of coaching experience, I made a lasting impact on young men and women to become productive citizens. I’ve been a Republican my entire life and will continue to fight to make sure Missouri remains a great place to raise your family.

What prompted you to run, or rerun for this position?

For too long in Jefferson City we’ve seen priorities of the Ozarks be held hostage by a small group of politicians who don’t care about what’s best for South Central Missouri but are just blinded by ambition and controlling power. When State Sen. Karla Eslinger decided not to run for reelection, I sat down with grassroot Republicans, community leaders and locally elected officials like State Rep. Bennie Cook to decide whether I should run or not. After many weeks of steadfast prayer and conversations with my family and close friends I decided to run for state senate.

Since I made the decision to run for state senate, I’ve traveled across the district meeting with voters in Douglas, Howell, Ozark, Shannon, Stone, Taney and Texas Counties, hearing firsthand how we need to get back to work in Jefferson City and return the power to the people who have elected us. It’s been a blessing to engage with voters and have their support and prayers during this campaign.

How do you plan to actively engage with our community throughout your term?

During my time as a small business owner I made sure that customers were always heard, as a coach I listened to my students and their parents to address their concerns, and as a state representative I have always made myself available to my constituents. As your state senator, I can guarantee that your concerns will always be heard.

A key tool in ensuring that your voice is heard is to have a good relationship and line of communication with local elected officials and your state representative. I’m proud to say that I’m endorsed by State Rep. Bennie Cook and that he will be someone I consistently look to for support and to know what the needs of Texas County are.

As a state representative I’ve always had an open-door policy for my constituents and that same open-door policy will continue as your state senator. You should have a state senator that holds your values and listens to your concerns and I promise to be that state senator.

What are your top three priorities for our locality, and how do you plan to address them?

As a state representative I’ve worked to champion pro-life, pro-gun and pro-freedom laws for the entire state. On the campaign trail I’ve heard directly from voters on local issues and they made it clear their top three issues for Texas County are road infrastructure, keeping rural healthcare accessible and affordable and bringing jobs back to Texas County.

Over the past two years we’ve seen State Sen. Eslinger and State Rep. Cook secure funds in the state budget for repairing Shafer Road and to begin expanding U.S. 63 to four lanes. Unfortunately, both these items were vetoed by the governor. I’ve heard from citizens all over Texas County that these two projects are critical to keeping our roads safe and I’ll continue to make sure they get funded in the budget and work with the governor’s office to make sure they get funded and not vetoed.

In Texas County we have readily available healthcare options with Missouri Ozarks Community Health and Texas County Memorial Hospital. As your state senator I’ll make sure they continue to receive state funding to keep their doors open so you don’t have to go to West Plains or Rolla for basic healthcare needs.

Lastly, I’ll fight to bring jobs back to Texas County. Texas County is a wonderful place to grow and raise a family, but without good paying jobs we can’t expect our neighbors to stay. As your state senator I’ll work to help businesses like Durham expand their workforce and bring new businesses in by helping create more affordable housing, providing our students with quality education and expanding affordable broadband.

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