James E. Smith, Jr.

James Emerson Smith Jr. (born September 9, 1967) is an American politician who served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1996 to 2019. Smith is a combat veteran and a serving officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, a small business owner, and a practicing attorney in Columbia, South Carolina. Smith endorsed Vice President Joe Biden in the 2008 United States presidential election. Smith was the Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina in 2018, but was defeated by incumbent Republican Governor Henry McMaster.