Bennie Smith

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Bennie Smith

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 23, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Danville, Ky.

Religion

Christian Universal Spiritual

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Bennie Smith (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Kentucky. He lost in the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bennie Jerome Smith was born in Danville, Kentucky. He attended Kentucky State University from 1976 to 1979 and Eastern Kentucky University from 1980 to 1981. Smith's professional career includes being a CDL class A driver; a musician, promoter, and event planner; and a thoroughbred horse owner and hot walker. He has been associated with the Democratic Party, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, and Alpha Upsilon Chapter.

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2020

United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Kentucky

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Kentucky on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch McConnell (R)	57.8	1,233,315
		Amy McGrath (D)	38.2	816,257
		Brad Barron (L)	4.0	85,386
		Paul John Frangedakis (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	70
		Daniel Cobble (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	18
		Randall Lee Teegarden (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	9

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,135,055
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Derek Leonard Petteys (Reform Party)
• Alyssa Dara McDowell (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy McGrath	45.4	247,037
		Charles Booker	42.6	231,888
		Mike Broihier	5.0	27,175
		Mary Ann Tobin	2.0	11,108
		Maggie Jo Hilliard	1.1	6,224
	Submit photo	Andrew Maynard	1.1	5,974
		Bennie Smith	0.9	5,040
		Jimmy Ausbrooks	0.7	3,629
		Eric Rothmuller	0.6	2,995
	Submit photo	John Sharpensteen	0.5	2,992

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 544,062
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kevin Elliott (D)
• Loretta Babalmoradi Noble (D)
• Matt Jones (D)
• Joshua Paul Edwards (D)
• Steven Cox (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Kentucky on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mitch McConnell	82.8	342,660
		C. Wesley Morgan	6.2	25,588
	Submit photo	Louis Grider	3.3	13,771
		Paul John Frangedakis	2.9	11,957
	Submit photo	Naren James	2.6	10,693
	Submit photo	Kenneth Lowndes	1.3	5,548
	Submit photo	Nicholas Alsager	0.9	3,603

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 413,820
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Karl Das (R)
• Wendell Crow (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Kentucky

Brad Barron advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Kentucky on March 7, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Brad Barron (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To see a list of endorsements for Bennie Smith, click here.

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Kentucky, 2014

Smith ran for election to the U.S. Senate, representing Kentucky. He failed to officially file before the January 28, 2014, filing deadline.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bennie Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born on DERBY DAY May 3, 1958 in Danville, KY aka "THE CITY OF FIRSTS" into the union of Bennie B. and Dolores E. Smith, Bennie Jerome Smith is the product of Fayette County Public Schools and Danville Independent Schools.

After the separation and divorce of his parents at the age of 10, he learned to play the saxophone at Edna L. Toluver Elementary School to address his aggressions.

Smith grew up in the Charlotte Court Housing in Lexington and is the eldest of 4 siblings. He is a 1976 graduate of Lafayette High School and attended Kentucky State University and Eastern Kentucky University.

His core values and universal outlook on life are a result of his parents' upbringing and unique life experiences of growing up during the segregation era and eras of cultural diversity.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• TEAM ONE KENTUCKY is a campaign that focuses on ALL Kentuckians regardless of political party affiliation, economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

• We must aggressively change the image of Kentucky based on outside perception and ensure KENTUCKY takes the opportunity to embraces a 21st century mindset

• We want to tackle core issues that matter to voters such as Education, Jobs and Job Skills Training, Universal Health Care, Clinate Change that addresses Clean Air, Clean Water and Restoration of The Land, and the Empowerment, Mobilization and Leadership Initiarhves for our Youth.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

*Increase of the living wage to $15/hour

• Jobs and Job Skills Training
  
• Universal Health Care for every Kentuckian
  
• Teacher Pay Raise and smaller classroom sizes
  
• Women's Rights that include Equal Pay and Right to Choose
  
• Mental Health Care Initiatives
  
• Common Sense Gun Control Legislation while being a Strong Supporter of 2nd Amendment Rights
  
• Voting Rights for Ex-Felons and programs that prevent recidivism
  
• Immigration Reform with Pathway to Citizenship and DACA Supporter

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My visually impaired mother and Korean War Veteran father instilled compassion and the work ethic in me. In spite of our low income status, we never knew we were poor or went without the basic necessities.

Also my 6th grade teacher Mr. Arthur B. Muncy is my other lifetime inspiration. I was part of an experimental all-male class that comprised of at-risk kids who apparently didn't have a father in the home. This was bold and life changing because in addition to focusing on improving basic school work, we also took about 10 field trips to various locations outside the school environment.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Movies:

"The Pursuit of Happiness" - Will Smith

"When We Were Kings" - Muhammad Ali

Books:

"What Manner of Man" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The Great Black Jockeys" - Edward Hotaling

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

To listen to constituents, have town meetings and be accessible and have your offices open to your constituents.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Empathetic

Engaging - People Person
Approachable
Non-judgmental
Great Listener
Open-minded
Researcher
Spiritually Grounded
Parent and Grandparent

Always Open to Learn Something New

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Integrity

Altruism

Service

What legacy would you like to leave?

Someone who tried to make a positive difference who loved helping people...

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at the age of 5 years old. I vividly remember the dark cloud atmosphere of our household, the community and watched the "live" coverage as well as looked at the images in the LIFE Magazines.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

McDonald's in Lexington at the Russell Cave location.. I started out on fries, prepared sandwiches and worked the cash register. I believe I lasted about 3 months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"The GREAT BLACK JOCKEYS" by Edward Hotaling because it shares the history of Black Jockeys traced back to colonial days in this country I was unaware of before.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

THE BLACK PANTHER

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Keep Your Head To The Sky" by Earth, Wind & Fire

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Early in my life, I tried to please everybody. But once I realized I was wearing myself thin, I began to make sure I can put myself in position to assist or help others.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

*Climate change

• Preparing our youth for Leadership and Global Competitiveness
  
• Reducing the deficit
  
• Domestic terrorism
  
• Patriotism

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The opportunity to shape and form policies that affect not only citizens in your state but nationally as well.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It can be. I was a member of the Student Government at Kentucky State University as well as a member of the Student Court.

But I think life experiences can also be a substitute.

What do you think of the filibuster?

Depends on who you ask... LOL

It is a tool that can be used either for the benefit or detriment of your constituency. But it can also be used as a method of checks and balances.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

Qualifications, background and experience plus recommendations and who they're from.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other senators?

Most definitely not only within your own party but across the aisle as well.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes.

Intelligence Committee
Education & Accountability
Labor & Transportation
International Relations
Oversight
Immigration Reform

Race Relations

If you are a current senator, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. Senate, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Wherever I'm needed. I would love to learn the process and follow my passion.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Senator Wendell Ford

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

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Kentucky's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mitch McConnell (R)

Rand Paul (R)

Representatives

District 1

James Comer (R)

District 2

Brett Guthrie (R)

District 3

Morgan McGarvey (D)

District 4

Thomas Massie (R)

District 5

Hal Rogers (R)

District 6

Andy Barr (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)