Aja Smith
Aja Smith (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 39th Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Smith was a Republican candidate for the same seat in 2018. She lost the general election on November 6, 2018.
Biography
Aja Smith served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.[1][2] Smith earned a bachelor's degree from California Baptist University in business administration and management in 2005.[3]
Elections
2022
See also: California's 39th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 39
Incumbent Mark Takano defeated Aja Smith in the general election for U.S. House California District 39 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 57.7 | 75,896 | |
| Aja Smith (R) | 42.3 | 55,701 | ||
| Total votes: 131,597 | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 39
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 39 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 57.1 | 44,067 | |
| ✔ | Aja Smith (R) | 12.6 | 9,751 | |
| Bill Spinney (R) | 9.6 | 7,421 | ||
| Tony Moreno (R) | 7.2 | 5,527 | ||
| Art Peterson (R) | 6.6 | 5,081 | ||
| John Minnella (R) | 4.7 | 3,662 | ||
| Emmanuel Suarez (R) | 2.1 | 1,600 | ||
| Total votes: 77,109 | ||||
| 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Oray Auzenne (D)
2020
See also: California's 41st Congressional District election, 2020
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 41
Incumbent Mark Takano defeated Aja Smith in the general election for U.S. House California District 41 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 64.0 | 168,126 | |
| Aja Smith (R) | 36.0 | 94,447 | ||
| Total votes: 262,573 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 41
Incumbent Mark Takano and Aja Smith defeated Grace Williams and Anza Akram in the primary for U.S. House California District 41 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 50.8 | 58,723 | |
| ✔ | Aja Smith (R) | 33.0 | 38,231 | |
 | Grace Williams (D) | 16.2 | 18,731 | |
| Anza Akram (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 2 | |
| Total votes: 115,687 | ||||
| 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
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 41
Incumbent Mark Takano defeated Aja Smith in the general election for U.S. House California District 41 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 65.1 | 108,227 | |
| Aja Smith (R) | 34.9 | 58,021 | ||
| Total votes: 166,248 | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 41
Incumbent Mark Takano and Aja Smith advanced from the primary for U.S. House California District 41 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Takano (D) | 58.5 | 45,585 | |
| ✔ | Aja Smith (R) | 41.5 | 32,360 | |
| Total votes: 77,945 | ||||
| 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
- Doug Shepherd (R)
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aja Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Smith's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
NATIONAL DEFENSE As a Veteran, I understand National Security. As a Congresswoman, I will ensure our National Defense has the resources it needs to keep us safe. We must provide our military, homeland security agencies with the proper technology and increased manpower to defend our Nation. The congressman I will replace, jeopardizes our safety in the world with failure to understand military readiness and National Security. I am well versed in national security issues. From homegrown terrorism and international terrorism are problems that must be addressed. Issues in global security affect Riverside directly and indirectly when it comes to implementing strategic domestic and foreign policy. My opponent consistently votes against adequately protecting our nation from adversaries. Supported the Iran nuclear deal and giving Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, $10's of billions of dollars. In the ultimate demonstration of incredible bad judgement, He hired the Awan brothers as IT staffers, who without proper security clearances, had access to some of the most sensitive classified information provided to congressional members, committed cyber-security breaches, large-scale fraud, cover-ups, and threats to our national security, all of which are the subject of an ongoing investigation.
As someone who has served in our military, and someone from a family of veterans, I fully understand the needs and issues for our service members. Those who are serving and those who have served ...their needs are never ending. We have thousands of veterans who cannot get adequate care from the VA. We need to ensure veterans receive their entitled benefits, provide quality health care and preserve retirement benefits. As your Congresswoman, I WILL FIGHT for our veterans in Washington D.C As the Vice Ranking member of The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, my opponent didn't even know that the Tricare Office across from March ARB left. He consistently votes against military funding that includes pay raises for our service members He voted three times this year for the government shutdown. He claims to understand Veterans – but has never served.
I believe in the American Dream. I understand the impact of a stagnant job market and know that small business are the backbone of job growth in our country. I support lower taxes for individuals and businesses. I know the struggles that many face in our district and our nation when it comes to living pay check to pay check. Our economy is beginning to improve, and we must build on the gains that have been made. We need innovation in our economy to grow our economy. Without low taxes for small and medium-sized businesses, they can’t invest in new jobs.
Rebuilding community relations with public safety is essential for not only the betterment of our community, but also vital to the future for our children. I believe in fostering relationships with better communication, involvement and trust. We need to have trust and support for those that are serving for us and it is just as important for our public safety officials to gain the trust and support us as well. Our district will be successful in this relationship, but we must build jointly together to work successfully.
My opponent pretends to care and fight for those who want to make a living. District 41’s freelancers and independent contractors’ livelihoods are impacted by CA state law AB-5. My opponent is a co-sponsor of a federal version of AB-5 now pending in Congress called the ProAct (HR 2474). If it passes, independent contractors would be banned nationwide. I know freelancers from all parties, and they support my stance against both these bills. I will fight for them in Washington D.C to prevent HR 2474 from becoming federal law and I will support everyone here in California working to repeal AB-5.
As a Native Californian, I have seen the increase of homelessness not only in cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco but here in district 41. My opponent believes this is not a federal issue however I believe it is. Millions of dollars are being thrown at the problem just by creating housing is not the overall solution for various components of homelessness. Mental illness needs to be a priority which is much of the epidemic. I will work with medical experts in and out of the government. Our country’s mental health treatment system must be rebuilt from the ground up. We need a representative who cares about these issues. I care deeply about them. My opponent has done nothing about these problems.[4] |
” |
| —Aja Smith's campaign website (2022)[5] | ||
2020
Aja Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. 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.
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TSgt. Aja Smith (Vet) has dedicated her career to serving her country. Following in the footsteps of her family, Aja decided at a young age that she wanted to help preserve the great freedoms that our country was founded upon.
Aja grew up in Moreno Valley, California and was raised by both her mother and grandmother who worked long hours as nurses, providing for Aja and ensuring she had every opportunity that her peers had. Both of Aja's Grandparents served in the U.S. Military. Her Grandfather was a veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Her great uncle was a Tuskegee Airman pilot.
In 2002, Aja joined the United States Air Force Reserve. In 2007, she was deployed to Qatar and stationed at Al-Udeid Air Force Base during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 41st district consists largely of blue-collar workers. March Air Force Base long fueled the local economy and provided jobs for local residents. After base realignment, cities like Moreno Valley were devastated economically when March became a Reserve Base. Aja Smith will fight to ensure that March Air Reserve Base does not close down and suffer the horrible economic effects. It is essential that we find employment for our veterans and continue to bring jobs back to the Inland Empire.
If elected, Aja would become the first African-American female Republican to serve in Congress from California.
- NATIONAL DEFENSE
- VETERANS
- Economy and Jobs
Will update later
9/11 attack. I was 23 years old
Veterans' Affairs, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, Oversight and Reform, Science, Space, and Technology
Small Business, Education and Labor.
Senator Tim Scott. Senator Scott, Edward Brooke and Margaret Chase Smith
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 23, 2020
- ↑ ajaforcongress, "Home," accessed June 7, 2022
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Aja Smith," accessed June 7, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ ajaforcongress, “Issues,” accessed September 1, 2022
