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Democrat · South Dakota Senate, district 15

Serving since Jan 10, 2017SD 2025–26 session

Portrait of Jamie Smith, rendered as a two-tone print
Official portrait
100%
of State Senate Democrats score to the left of Smith on the CSIP scale

CSIP score +0.46 (approximate range +0.42 to +0.50, which understates the uncertainty); negative is left of the scale’s centre, positive right. From 17 donors and 879 roll calls.

CSIP places every official on one left–right scale estimated from roll-call votes, campaign donations and the text of statements; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of moderate. The share says where Smith sits among State Senate Democrats, not how far from the centre.

At a glance

6 measures against State Senate Democrats. 75% of Smith’s itemized money in the 2024 cycle came from South Dakota, in the bottom quarter of State Senate Democrats. The policy areas Smith talks about and legislates on agree at 0.46 on a 0–1 scale, in the bottom quarter of State Senate Democrats.

The measures on which Smith sits furthest from the middle of State Senate Democrats, each against the same group, with the CSIP score when there is one. Every number is explained in its own section below.

CSIP ideology

+0.46

More conservative than 100% of State Senate Democrats · ± 0.04

From South Dakota, 2024

75%

Of itemized individual dollars · ranks 39th of 47 State Senate Democrats

Talk-to-bills agreement

0.46

State Senate Democrats average 0.56 · ranks 187th of 228

Party unity

93.7%

South Dakota Senate average 76% · ranks 8th of 35 · 13 votes against the majority of South Dakota Senate Democrats

Itemized, 2024

$29.7K

State Senate Democrats’ median $16.2K · ranks 23rd of 55

Out of committee

80%

South Dakota Senate average 78% · ranks 19th of 34

Peer group: State Senate Democrats. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; the thick bar is Smith, the thin grey bar the peer average. The headline is the measure on which Smith is most unusual among peers (Methods, §08).

Back to topNext: What politicians say

What Smith says

Smith attacks opponents personally less than 75% of State Senate Democrats. Personal attacks in 0% of 146 statements, against 2.4% for the average State Senate Democrat; 248th of 329.

An AI model reads each of Smith’s 146 statements in the SD 2025–26 session (146 posts on X) and marks the kinds of statement it contains: a personal attack, criticism of a policy, discussion of policy, bipartisanship, credit claiming, and extreme labels. A statement can carry several. Every rate is compared with the average for State Senate Democrats and ranked among them.

Kinds of statement

Share of statements carrying each label, the SD 2025–26 session

0%80%
Smith
Peers
Rank
Policy discussion30 statements
21%
43%
288th of 329
Credit claiming5 statements
3%
16%
283rd of 329
Bipartisanship3 statements
2%
3%
183rd of 329
Policy criticism2 statements
1%
10%
264th of 329
Personal attacks0 statements
0%
2%
248th of 329
Show the data
Smith's share of statements in each category against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowSmithPeers
Policy discussion21%43%
Credit claiming3%16%
Bipartisanship2%3%
Policy criticism1%10%
Personal attacks0%2%
146

statements classified

146 posts on X.

posts on X: 146 (100.0%)posts on X 146
Show the data
Smith's statements by source
PartValue
posts on X146
How to read the bars

The thick bar is Smith; the thin grey bar is the average State Senate Democrats. A longer thick bar means Smith does this more than peers. Rank 1 is the highest rate in the group.

Extreme labels

Smith used no extreme labels in 146 statements. The peer average is 0.8%.

No extreme labels in this window.

Who gets the labels

Targets named alongside an extreme label, by number of statements

No targets recorded.

What an extreme label is

Calls a politician, a party or a policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who or what the label was aimed at. The lists show the five most used labels and targets; the toggle shows the rest.

Month by month

Share of statements per month, the SD 2025–26 session

Statements2025-01: 02025-02: 02025-03: 02025-04: 02025-05: 02025-06: 32025-07: 202025-08: 232025-09: 192025-10: 212025-11: 182025-12: 202026-01: 222026-02: 02026-03: 02026-04: 02026-05: 02026-06: 02026-07: 02026-08: 02026-09: 02026-10: 0peak 23 · Aug ’25Personal attackspeak 0.0% · Jul ’25 · latest 0.0%Personal attacks, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2025-07: 0.0% of 20Personal attacks, 2025-08: 0.0% of 23Personal attacks, 2025-09: 0.0% of 19Personal attacks, 2025-10: 0.0% of 21Personal attacks, 2025-11: 0.0% of 18Personal attacks, 2025-12: 0.0% of 20Personal attacks, 2026-01: 0.0% of 22Personal attacks, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Personal attacks, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticismpeak 5.3% · Sep ’25 · latest 0.0%Policy criticism, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2025-07: 0.0% of 20Policy criticism, 2025-08: 4.3% of 23Policy criticism, 2025-09: 5.3% of 19Policy criticism, 2025-10: 0.0% of 21Policy criticism, 2025-11: 0.0% of 18Policy criticism, 2025-12: 0.0% of 20Policy criticism, 2026-01: 0.0% of 22Policy criticism, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy criticism, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussionpeak 26.3% · Sep ’25 · latest 22.7%Policy discussion, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2025-07: 20.0% of 20Policy discussion, 2025-08: 17.4% of 23Policy discussion, 2025-09: 26.3% of 19Policy discussion, 2025-10: 9.5% of 21Policy discussion, 2025-11: 22.2% of 18Policy discussion, 2025-12: 25.0% of 20Policy discussion, 2026-01: 22.7% of 22Policy discussion, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Policy discussion, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanshippeak 10.5% · Sep ’25 · latest 0.0%Bipartisanship, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2025-07: 5.0% of 20Bipartisanship, 2025-08: 0.0% of 23Bipartisanship, 2025-09: 10.5% of 19Bipartisanship, 2025-10: 0.0% of 21Bipartisanship, 2025-11: 0.0% of 18Bipartisanship, 2025-12: 0.0% of 20Bipartisanship, 2026-01: 0.0% of 22Bipartisanship, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Bipartisanship, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claimingpeak 8.7% · Aug ’25 · latest 4.5%Credit claiming, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2025-07: 0.0% of 20Credit claiming, 2025-08: 8.7% of 23Credit claiming, 2025-09: 5.3% of 19Credit claiming, 2025-10: 4.8% of 21Credit claiming, 2025-11: 0.0% of 18Credit claiming, 2025-12: 0.0% of 20Credit claiming, 2026-01: 4.5% of 22Credit claiming, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Credit claiming, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labelspeak 0.0% · Jul ’25 · latest 0.0%Extreme labels, 2025-01: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2025-07: 0.0% of 20Extreme labels, 2025-08: 0.0% of 23Extreme labels, 2025-09: 0.0% of 19Extreme labels, 2025-10: 0.0% of 21Extreme labels, 2025-11: 0.0% of 18Extreme labels, 2025-12: 0.0% of 20Extreme labels, 2026-01: 0.0% of 22Extreme labels, 2026-02: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-03: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-04: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-05: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-06: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-07: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-08: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-09: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Extreme labels, 2026-10: not plotted (fewer than 10 statements)Jan ’25Jul ’25Jan ’26Jul ’26Oct ’26
Show the data
Monthly rates for Smith, each row shaded against its own peak, with statement volume. Months with fewer than 10 statements are left blank.
ColumnStatementsPersonal attacksPolicy criticismPolicy discussionBipartisanshipCredit claimingExtreme labels
Jan ’250— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Feb ’250— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’250— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’250— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’250— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jun ’253— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jul ’25200.0%0.0%20.0%5.0%0.0%0.0%
Aug ’25230.0%4.3%17.4%0.0%8.7%0.0%
Sep ’25190.0%5.3%26.3%10.5%5.3%0.0%
Oct ’25210.0%0.0%9.5%0.0%4.8%0.0%
Nov ’25180.0%0.0%22.2%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Dec ’25200.0%0.0%25.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Jan ’26220.0%0.0%22.7%0.0%4.5%0.0%
Feb ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Mar ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Apr ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
May ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jun ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Jul ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Aug ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Sep ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
Oct ’260— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)— (fewer than 10 statements)
How to read the strips

Each row is one kind of statement; each cell is a month, shaded against that row’s own peak (darker = closer to the peak), with the peak and the latest value written at the right. The top row counts statements. The strip covers every month of the SD 2025–26 session, the same span as the rates above, including months with no statements. A month with fewer than 10 statements is hatched, not shaded: one or two posts would swing its rate to 0% or 100%. 15 months are hatched here; 14 of them have no statements.

In Smith’s words

Real statements from the classifier’s example set, with the labels it assigned

Policy discussion

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jan 27, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; International Affairs · Source

Credit claiming

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Jan 7, 2026 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy discussion; credit claiming; Government Operations and Politics; Economics and Public Finance · Source

Policy criticism

The text of this post is on X; follow the source link to read it.

Sep 15, 2025 · Posts on X (state legislators) · policy criticism; policy discussion; Health · Source

Examples by category

Up to five recent statements in each category

Category

Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.

No statements in this category in this window.

All 146 statements

Newest first, the SD 2025–26 session

The full feed

Five statements at a time, newest first; filters apply to the statements loaded so far. Export saves the statements that match. Sources: 146 posts on X.

Back to topNext: Policy

Policy

Housing and Community Development is what Smith talks about most: 23% of policy statements, 3.5 times the peer share. Talk and legislation agree at 0.46 on a 0–1 scale (State Senate Democrats average 0.56; 187th of 228).

Each policy statement is tagged by the AI model with one or more of 25 policy areas from the Congressional Research Service list, so the shares say what Smith talks about. The bills Smith sponsors and cosponsors carry the same areas, so the two can be compared.

What Smith talks about

Share of policy statements by area, the SD 2025–26 session

0%35%
Smith
Peers
Housing and Community Development7 statements
23%
7%
Education5 statements
17%
15%
Government Operations and Politics3 statements
10%
14%
Health3 statements
10%
17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues2 statements
7%
8%
Show the data
Policy areas Smith talks about, as a share of policy statements, against the State Senate Democrats average.
RowSmithPeers
Housing and Community Development23%7%
Education17%15%
Government Operations and Politics10%14%
Health10%17%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues7%8%
How to read the bars

The thick bar is the share of Smith’s policy statements in an area; the thin grey bar is the average share for State Senate Democrats. A statement counts once in each of its areas, so shares can add to more than 100%. The five largest areas are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

Talks about · legislates on

Left: share of statements by policy area. Right: share of bills. Areas in order of their share of statements; both sides run from 0 to 35%. Grey ticks are the State Senate Democrats averages.

Talks aboutLegislates onHousing and CommunityDevelopmentHousing and Community Development, talks about: 23% (State Senate Democrats 7%)23%Housing and Community Development, legislates on: 3% (State Senate Democrats 5%)3%EducationEducation, talks about: 17% (State Senate Democrats 15%)17%Education, legislates on: 6% (State Senate Democrats 9%)6%Government Operations andPoliticsGovernment Operations and Politics, talks about: 10% (State Senate Democrats 14%)10%Government Operations and Politics, legislates on: 13% (State Senate Democrats 8%)13%HealthHealth, talks about: 10% (State Senate Democrats 17%)10%Health, legislates on: 21% (State Senate Democrats 15%)21%Civil Rights and Liberties,Minority IssuesCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, talks about: 7% (State Senate Democrats 8%)7%Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues, legislates on: 3% (State Senate Democrats 5%)3%
Show the data
Smith's share of statements against share of bills in each policy area.
AreaTalks aboutState Senate Democrats, talks aboutLegislates onState Senate Democrats, legislates on
Housing and Community Development23%7%3%5%
Education17%15%6%9%
Government Operations and Politics10%14%13%8%
Health10%17%21%15%
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues7%8%3%5%
0.46

talk-to-bills agreement, 0 to 1

State Senate Democrats average 0.56. Ranks 187th of 228.

What agreement means, and what it doesn’t

Agreement is 1 minus the distance between the two distributions (Jensen–Shannon): 1 means Smith legislates on exactly the areas Smith talks about, in the same proportions; 0 means no overlap. It does not say whether the bills match the positions in the statements, only the subjects. Bills Smith sponsored count fully, cosponsored bills a quarter. Shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.

Back to topNext: Ideology

Ideology

Smith sits at +0.46 on the CSIP scale, right of 0, more conservative than 100% of State Senate Democrats. Approximate range +0.42 to +0.50, which understates the uncertainty; from 17 donors and 879 roll calls.

CSIP, the lab’s Common-Space Ideal Point, places every official, federal and state, on one left–right scale, estimated from roll-call votes, who gives money to whom, and the text of statements. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it; 0 is the centre of the scale, not a definition of “moderate”.

+0.46

CSIP ideal point

Approximate range +0.42 to +0.50. From 17 donors and 879 roll calls. Run 2026-10-25T215945. Blue is left of 0, red right of 0.

← More liberalMore conservative →0Smith +0.5State Senate Democrats −0.7South Dakota Senate +0.1All State Senate +0.1

The outlined dot is Smith, coloured by its side of 0 (blue left, red right, deeper further out); the bar through it is the approximate range (±1.96 standard errors), which understates the uncertainty; the grey ticks below are the medians of Smith’s groups. 0 is the centre of the scale, not “moderate” by definition.

What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score summarises how an official votes, who funds them and how they talk, relative to everyone else. It does not grade positions as good or bad, and two officials with the same score can differ on any single issue. The ± range is 1.96 standard errors, which understates the uncertainty: scores whose ranges overlap may not differ at all, and even scores whose ranges do not overlap may not differ.

Where Smith sits

Every official in each group, on the CSIP scale

−2.0−1.00.0+1.0+2.0← More liberalMore conservative →State Senate Democratsmedian −0.7Smith +0.5South Dakota Senatemedian +0.1All State Senatemedian +0.1
Show the data
Smith's CSIP score of +0.46 placed against State Senate Democrats, South Dakota Senate, All State Senate.
GroupOfficialsMedianShare left of Smith
State Senate Democrats825−0.7100%
South Dakota Senate35+0.194%
All State Senate1909+0.180%
How to read the strips

Every small dot is one official on the same scale, coloured by its own score (blue left of 0, red right of 0, grey at 0, deeper further out) and spread up and down only to keep dots apart; where a group is crowded the dots overlap, and darker patches mean more officials. The large outlined dot is Smith in every row; the rule is each group’s median. The table under the figure gives the share of each group to the left of Smith.

Back to topNext: Money

Money

Smith reported $29.7K in the 2024 cycle, 1.8 times the State Senate Democrats’ median of $16.2K. State filings report no small-donation total. 75% of itemized individual money came from South Dakota.

Campaign money from state campaign-finance filings, as aggregates only; the lab never shows an individual donor. Campaigns must report by name every person who gives them more than $200 in a cycle (“itemized”); smaller gifts are reported only as one total (“unitemized”), so donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations describe itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift total, so these figures add up itemized contributions only.

Election cycle
$29.7K

itemized in the 2024 cycle

From 10 itemized donors. State Senate Democrats’ median $16.2K.

Where the money came from

Each square is one percent of itemized contributions in the 2024 cycle.

Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)Individuals (itemized): $3,750 (12.6%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)PACs and other committees: $25.9K (87.4%)
  • Individuals (itemized)13 squares$3,750
  • PACs and other committees87 squares$25.9K
Show the data
Sources of Smith's money, 2024 cycle, one square per percent
SourceAmountShare
Individuals (itemized)$3,75012.6%
PACs and other committees$25.9K87.4%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

Totals say how much a campaign took in, not how it was spent, and they rise sharply when a seat is up for election; compare cycles with that in mind.

Receipts by cycle

Itemized contributions, 2020 to 2024. The grey line is the State Senate Democrats’ median for 2024.

2020 cycle: $21.9K$21.9K20202022 cycle: $900$90020222024 cycle: $29.7K$29.7K2024State Senate Democrats median $16.2K
Show the data
Smith's receipts by cycle against the 2024 State Senate Democrats median.
ItemValue
2020 cycle$21.9K
2022 cycle$900
2024 cycle$29.7K

Top donor states, 2024

Itemized contributions by donor state. 75% came from South Dakota.

  1. South Dakota$2,800
  2. Minnesota$250
  3. Delaware$250
  4. Missouri$250
  5. Illinois$200

Small donations

State filings report no total for small gifts.

Not reported in state filings.

Where itemized donors live

Individuals who gave more than $200, by donor state

Alaska: no dataAKMaine: no dataMEVermont: no dataVTNew Hampshire: no dataNHWashington: no dataWAIdaho: no dataIDMontana: no dataMTNorth Dakota: no dataNDMinnesota: $250MNIllinois: $200ILWisconsin: no dataWIMichigan: no dataMINew York: no dataNYRhode Island: no dataRIMassachusetts: no dataMAOregon: no dataORNevada: no dataNVWyoming: no dataWYSouth Dakota: $2,800SDIowa: no dataIAIndiana: no dataINOhio: no dataOHPennsylvania: no dataPANew Jersey: no dataNJConnecticut: no dataCTCalifornia: no dataCAUtah: no dataUTColorado: no dataCONebraska: no dataNEMissouri: $250MOKentucky: no dataKYWest Virginia: no dataWVVirginia: no dataVAMaryland: no dataMDDelaware: $250DEArizona: no dataAZNew Mexico: no dataNMKansas: no dataKSArkansas: no dataARTennessee: no dataTNNorth Carolina: no dataNCSouth Carolina: no dataSCDistrict of Columbia: no dataDCOklahoma: no dataOKLouisiana: no dataLAMississippi: no dataMSAlabama: no dataALGeorgia: no dataGAHawaii: no dataHITexas: no dataTXFlorida: no dataFL
Show the data
Smith's itemized individual contributions by donor state, 2024 cycle
StateValue
South Dakota$2,800
Minnesota$250
Missouri$250
Delaware$250
Illinois$200
AlaskaNo data
MaineNo data
VermontNo data
New HampshireNo data
WashingtonNo data
IdahoNo data
MontanaNo data
North DakotaNo data
WisconsinNo data
MichiganNo data
New YorkNo data
Rhode IslandNo data
MassachusettsNo data
OregonNo data
NevadaNo data
WyomingNo data
IowaNo data
IndianaNo data
OhioNo data
PennsylvaniaNo data
New JerseyNo data
ConnecticutNo data
CaliforniaNo data
UtahNo data
ColoradoNo data
NebraskaNo data
KentuckyNo data
West VirginiaNo data
VirginiaNo data
MarylandNo data
ArizonaNo data
New MexicoNo data
KansasNo data
ArkansasNo data
TennesseeNo data
North CarolinaNo data
South CarolinaNo data
District of ColumbiaNo data
OklahomaNo data
LouisianaNo data
MississippiNo data
AlabamaNo data
GeorgiaNo data
HawaiiNo data
TexasNo data
FloridaNo data
10

itemized donors

People who gave more than $200

75%

from South Dakota

Of itemized individual dollars

How to read the map

Every state the same size. Darker states gave more itemized money; hatched states had no itemized donors; the outlined state is South Dakota. Gifts of $200 or less carry no address and are left out.

Top donor occupations

Itemized, 2024 cycle.

No occupations reported.

Top committees

PAC and committee contributions, 2024 cycle.

  1. THE MAJORITY PROJECT$5,000
  2. WAY BACK PAC$5,000
  3. SOUTH DAKOTA REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$3,000
  4. SOUTH DAKOTA EPIC$2,000
  5. DEADWOOD TOURISM PAC$1,500

Top employers

Itemized, 2024 cycle.

No employers reported.

Aggregates only. Individual donors are never named.

Back to topNext: Votes

Votes

Smith voted with the majority of South Dakota Senate Democrats on 93.7% of party-line votes and missed 0.7% of 569 roll calls. South Dakota Senate on average: 76% party unity, 96.6% attendance. Across all roll calls, Smith voted against the majority of South Dakota Senate Democrats 13 times.

569 roll calls Smith could vote on in the SD 2025–26 session, compared with South Dakota Senate. Attendance is the share with a vote recorded. Party unity counts only party-line roll calls, where most Democrats and most Republicans voted on opposite sides, and is the share of those where Smith voted with the majority of South Dakota Senate Democrats. The count of votes against that majority covers every roll call where the majority took a side.

13

votes against the majority of South Dakota Senate Democrats

Party unity 93.7%, South Dakota Senate average 76%, ranks 8th of 35. 569 roll calls in the SD 2025–26 session.

Attendance and party unity

The thick bar is Smith, the thin grey bar the South Dakota Senate average. The scale runs from 70% to 100% to show the gap.

70%100%
Smith
Peers
Rank
Attendance
99.3%
96.6%
16th of 35
Party unity
93.7%
76%
8th of 35
Show the data
Smith's attendance and party unity against South Dakota Senate.
RowSmithPeers
Attendance99.3%96.6%
Party unity93.7%76%
What this means, and what it doesn’t

A missed roll call has many causes, from illness to campaigning, so attendance says how often, not why. A vote against the majority can be on procedure as well as substance, and many fall on roll calls where both parties split; the key votes below show the ones that decided something.

Key votes

25 roll calls the lab flagged as key in the SD 2025–26 session

Key votes
Party split (yea–nay)Why it’s key
Mar 12, 2026
HB 1326
appropriate money for the ordinary expenses of the legislative, judicial, and executive departments of the state, the current expenses of state institutions, interest on the public debt, and common schools.
Do Pass
YeaWith majoritypassD 3–0 · R 22–9Democrats 3 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 22 yea, 9 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 12, 2026
HB 1051
revise property tax levies for school districts and to revise the state aid to general and special education formulas.
Do Pass Amended
YeaWith majoritypassD 3–0 · R 31–0Democrats 3 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 31 yea, 0 naybecame law
Mar 12, 2026
SB 78
revise the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026.
Do Pass Amended
YeaWith majoritypassD 3–0 · R 23–8Democrats 3 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 23 yea, 8 naybecame law · party crossover
Mar 9, 2026
HB 1006
create a taskforce to study the creation of Indian medicaid managed care entities in the state.
Do Pass Amended
YeaWith majoritypassD 3–0 · R 29–2Democrats 3 yea, 0 nay; Republicans 29 yea, 2 naybecame law
Mar 9, 2026
HB 1241
modify the requirements for public notice of a hearing prior to a vote to impose an excess tax levy, and to modify requirements to refer an excess tax levy of a school district to a vote.
Do Pass Amended
NayWith majorityfailD 1–2 · R 16–15Democrats 1 yea, 2 nay; Republicans 16 yea, 15 nayclose vote · party crossover
How key votes are chosen

Automatically: a final-passage or override vote where the measure became law, the margin was under 10%, at least 10% of either party voted against its majority, or the bill was among the 25 most mentioned in officials’ own statements. Up to 25 per window, most recent first; five are shown. Bars show yea on the left, nay on the right, per party.

Votes most often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Smith most often

  1. Liz LarsonD563 shared votes96%
  2. Brandon WipfR298 shared votes88%
  3. Tim ReedR558 shared votes86%
  4. Glen VilhauerR563 shared votes85%
  5. Stephanie SauderR563 shared votes85%

Votes least often with

The colleagues who voted the same way as Smith least often

  1. John CarleyR541 shared votes49%
  2. Taffy HowardR562 shared votes56%
  3. Tom PischkeR554 shared votes60%
  4. Greg BlancR562 shared votes60%
  5. MyKala VoitaR555 shared votes63%
How to read the agreement lists

The share of roll calls both members voted on where they voted the same way, among colleagues sharing at least 50 such votes. High agreement with members of the other party is common on routine votes.

Full voting record

SD 2025–26 session, loads in batches

Back to topNext: Legislation

Legislation

Smith sponsored 83 bills in the SD 2025–26 session; 37 became law. Cosponsored 0 others. 80% of sponsored bills got out of committee (South Dakota Senate average 78%; 19th of 34).

The bills Smith sponsored and cosponsored in the SD 2025–26 session, from the official bill records, and how far each got: introduced, referred to or acted on in committee, passed one chamber, passed both, became law. A bill counts at every stage it has reached, so the blocks only shrink to the right.

Bills by stage

Counts for the SD 2025–26 session

Sponsored83 billsSponsored, Introduced: 8383Sponsored, In committee: 7474Sponsored, Passed one chamber: 4141Sponsored, Passed both chambers: 3939Sponsored, Became law: 3737Cosponsored0 billsCosponsored, Introduced: 00Cosponsored, In committee: 00Cosponsored, Passed one chamber: 00Cosponsored, Passed both chambers: 00Cosponsored, Became law: 00IntroducedIncommitteePassed onechamberPassed bothchambersBecamelaw
Show the data
Bills Smith sponsored and cosponsored, by furthest stage reached
RoleIntroducedIn committeePassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law
Sponsored8374413937
Cosponsored00000
How to read the blocks

Ink blocks are bills Smith sponsored, ochre blocks bills Smith cosponsored; the figure above each block is the count. Most bills in any legislature never leave committee, so a short staircase is the norm.

80%

of sponsored bills got out of committee

South Dakota Senate average 78%. Ranks 19th of 34.

Cosponsorship partners

Colleagues who most often cosponsor with Smith, by number of shared bills in the SD 2025–26 session; the square shows their party.

  1. Eric Emery61
  2. Erik Muckey59
  3. Liz Larson50
  4. Nicole Uhre-Balk46
  5. Carl Perry36
What this means, and what it doesn’t

The score is the share of sponsored bills that a committee reported out or a chamber passed, with at least 5 sponsored bills, ranked within the peer group. Members of the majority party and committee chairs move more bills, so the rank reflects position in the chamber as well as effort. Cosponsorship partners are the five colleagues who share the most of Smith’s bills; the toggle shows more.

Bill list

Sponsored and cosponsored, with status and policy area; five are shown, the toggle shows the rest

Bills sponsored and cosponsored
HB 1148adopt the respiratory care interstate compact.SponsorFeb 18, 2026Became lawHealth(model)Signed by the Governor on 2026-03-30 H.J. 579 Mar 30, 2026
HCR 6012recognizing the YMCA for 175 years of service to youth, families, and communities in South Dakota and across the United States.SponsorFeb 10, 2026In committeeUnassignedSenate Concurred in Resolution , Passed, YEAS 33, NAYS 0 S.J. 249 Feb 11, 2026
SB 139revise a provision related to the transportation of an inmate upon discharge from a correctional facility.SponsorFeb 10, 2026Became lawCrime and Law Enforcement(model)Signed by the Governor on 2026-03-30 S.J. 548 Mar 30, 2026
SB 132modify provisions related to the South Dakota Veterans Council.SponsorFeb 10, 2026Became lawArmed Forces and National Security(model)Signed by the Governor on 2026-03-30 S.J. 548 Mar 30, 2026
HB 1268repeal capital punishment.SponsorFeb 4, 2026In committeeCrime and Law Enforcement(model)Judiciary Deferred to the 41st legislative day , Passed, YEAS 10, NAYS 1 Feb 18, 2026

Back to topNext: Online

Online

A site that has not changed in 90 days. Smith’s official site had 1 page when last crawled on Oct 1, 2026.

The lab crawls Smith’s official and campaign websites (weekly for Congress, monthly for the states) and keeps every page’s text, so changes can be read later; it also records social accounts and describes the images Smith posts with a vision model.

Websites

How to read the counts

“Pages crawled” is the size of the site at the last crawl; “changes in 90 days” counts pages whose text differed from the previous crawl. Sites change for many routine reasons, such as new press releases, so a high count is not by itself notable.

Images Smith posted

No images from Smith’s posts have been described.

About the descriptions

Written by a vision model and may be wrong. Open the post to see the original. Five are shown; the toggle shows the rest.

State floor speeches

No transcribed state floor speeches are matched to this legislator yet.

Floor speeches

Transcribed from chamber video or captions by the lab. They are not classified for kinds of statement.

Back to topNext: Methods and sources

Methods and sources

How this page was made. Profile built Oct 28, 2026; site last built Oct 28, 2026. Every number on the page is computed from the sources listed here, by the same rules for every official; nothing is written by hand.

The headline

The headline is the measure on which Smith is most unusual among State Senate Democrats, chosen by one rule for every official of every party. The candidates are the rate of each kind of statement and of extreme labels, party unity, attendance, the small-donor share, the in-state share and total receipts of the latest cycle, the share of sponsored bills that got out of committee, talk-to-bills agreement, and the CSIP score’s place within the party group.

The builder ranks every measure within the same peer group the page compares it with, and writes each official’s percentile: the share of the group below the value, ties counting half, so 0.5 is the median and a value shared by many never ranks first. A measure’s score is how far that percentile sits from the median (0 in the middle, 0.5 at either end), and the highest score leads if it is above 0.25, outside the middle half of the group. Scores within 0.03 of each other are a tie, broken in this order: votes against the party majority, kinds of statement, ideology, roll calls missed, small donations, in-state money, legislation, agreement, extreme labels, receipts.

A measure counts only with at least 200 statements, 100 roll calls or 5 sponsored bills behind it and a peer group of at least 10. Two things never lead: high party unity or attendance, where most members sit, and a high rate of a kind of statement backed by fewer than 10 statements. When nothing qualifies, the headline is a neutral fact instead: statements classified, or years in office. The wording always names the direction (“in the bottom 5% of …”, “votes against the majority of …”).

Identifiers

Profile id
bea6d77a-6773-463b-946c-b23b27f5f4c0
Open States
ocd-person/bea6d77a-6773-463b-946c-b23b27f5f4c0

Bulk files with the same data for every official:

Freshness of this profile’s data

  • What politicians sayOct 27, 20261 days agoMembers of Congress: tweets since 2017; press releases, newsletters and floor speeches since 2022. State legislators: tweets since May 2024. Governors: tweets since January 2025. Labels from an LLM classifier.
  • Roll calls (state)Oct 21, 20267 days agoOpen States floor roll calls, 2019 on (none for AK and MO).
  • Bills (state)Oct 28, 2026todayOpen States bills and sponsors, 2019 on; stages from roll calls.
  • Campaign money (state)no dateState campaign-finance agencies, 2019 on; aggregates only.
  • Ideology (CSIP)Oct 25, 20263 days agoCommon-Space Ideal Points (CSIP), current validated run.
  • WebsitesOct 25, 20263 days agoWeekly crawls of federal sites since April 2026; monthly state crawls since June 2026.
  • State floor speechesOct 21, 20267 days agoState floor speech turns (published transcripts and captions), 2020 on; not LLM-classified.

How the measures work

What politicians say
Every post, press release, newsletter and congressional floor speech is read by a language model and marked for personal attacks, policy criticism, policy discussion, bipartisanship and credit claiming. A statement can be in several. Rates are shares of statements in the window. The methods paper.
Extreme labels
A statement has an extreme label when it calls a politician, party or policy “far left”, “far right”, “MAGA”, “extreme”, “radical”, “woke”, “fascist” or “communist”. The target is who the label is aimed at.
Policy areas and agreement
Statements and bills share 25 Congressional Research Service policy areas (state bills are assigned by a language model). Agreement is 1 − Jensen–Shannon distance between the two distributions, shown with at least 20 policy statements and 5 bills.
Ideology (CSIP)
Common-Space Ideal Points place federal and state officials on one left–right scale, estimated jointly from roll calls, campaign contributions and the text of statements, with standard errors. Only a validated run is shown. The methods paper.
Campaign money
Campaigns report by name only donors who give more than $200 in a cycle; smaller gifts are reported as one total. Federal totals and the small-donor share come from the FEC’s financial summaries of each campaign committee. Donor counts, donor states, employers and occupations cover itemized donors only. State filings report no small-gift totals, so state figures are itemized only. The lab never publishes donor names.
Votes and key votes
Attendance, party unity and the count of votes against the majority of an official’s own party come from roll calls (Voteview for Congress, chamber records for the states). Key votes are final-passage or override votes that became law, were decided by under 10%, saw at least 10% of a party vote against its majority, or concerned one of the 25 bills most mentioned in officials’ statements.
Peers and ranks
Comparisons are with the same party, chamber and level (for example House Democrats); state legislators are compared within their state and chamber for votes. Every comparison names its group. Rank 1 is the highest value in the group; tied values share the average of their ranks, and the percentile is the share of the group below the value, ties counting half.

America’s Political Pulse · Polarization Research Lab

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