Smith says he'll challenge Metcalfe again this year
After losing to incumbent state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, by 16 percentage points in the 2018 election, Daniel Smith Jr. is ready for another campaign.
Smith, a Democrat who grew up in Zelienople and now lives in Adams Township, announced he is again running for Metcalfe's seat in the 2020 election. He said his loss in 2018 — he garnered about 42 percent of the vote to Metcalfe's 58 percent — was encouraging, especially given that the incumbent won by 35 percentage points in 2016 and 24 points in 2014.
“We came within two percentage points in Cranberry alone. No one's done that before (against Metcalfe),” Smith said. “Sixteen points is a lot better than 30 or 40 or so, so now we know what areas to focus on.”
Smith added he believes a benefit to this year's campaign compared to two years ago is that he was laid off from his job with Bank of New York Mellon, freeing up his time to focus on running. He described himself as a “full-time candidate.”
The 12th District seat includes Adams, Cranberry, Forward and Middlesex townships. The office is one of many positions Smith has run for in the past three years. After losing in 2018, he was a candidate for county prothonotary, but withdrew his name in July 2019 to run for Mike Kelly's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith withdrew from that race to run for Metcalfe's seat in the state house.
“I was tired of the way things are going. I was tired of partisan politics,” Smith said. “And, when I learned from local leaders (in 2018) that there hadn't been much working together for the past 18 years, I said, 'That's ridiculous.'”
Smith said his top priority, should he be elected, would be to bring tax dollars back to the 12th District in the form of grants and state aid. He pointed to Mars Area School District as an example, saying he views improving special education in the district as a critical issue.
Smith said he expects his sexuality and his mother's criminal history to come up during the campaign. Smith said he is openly gay, and his mother served time in federal prison for embezzlement.
He said he expects better results in the 2020 campaign with straight-party voting no longer an option on Pennsylvania ballots beginning with the 2020 general election.
