“I am going to show up,
do the work and fight for those
who sent me to Columbus”
About Kent Smith
Ohio State Senator Kent Smith has represented Ohio’s 21st District since 2022 after serving four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives. Before joining the Ohio Legislature, he spent 12 years on the Euclid School Board, where he never missed a meeting.
Senator Smith is the Ranking Member on the Ohio Senate Energy Committee and the Local Government Committee. He serves on seven Senate Standing Committees in total. He also serves as the Senate Democratic Whip.
Smith graduated from Miami University in 1988 and earned his Master of Science in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University in 2001. His Master’s thesis, written in 2001, was about the emerging threat of Predatory Lending and the Subprime Market. He also co-authored the first Predatory Lending Report by Policy Matters Ohio in 2002. Following his master’s degree studies, he was a Ph.D. student in Economic Development at Cleveland State University. In 2023, he earned a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School.
Prior to his time in Columbus, he worked for non-profits and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. He is the announcer for Cleveland’s Burning River Roller Derby team and the elected head of the Euclid Democratic Party. He is a cat dad, an apple farmer, and an art and music fan.
Four core principles guide his legislative work. They are:
1.We all do better when we all do better.
2. All of Ohio’s children today are all of Ohio’s future tomorrow.
3. Ohio’s economy will grow from equal parts innovation and opportunity.
4. I am going to show up, do the work, and fight for those who sent me to Columbus.
Kent Smith’s Legislative Experience
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Senator Smith believes that the most meaningful work as a legislator takes place in the Committee room. In the current legislative session (2025-2026), he serves as the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee and the Local Government Committee. He serves on seven Senate standing committees in total, including Education, Judiciary, Public Utilities, Rules and Reference, and Transportation. In the prior General Assembly, Senator Smith also served on the Financial Institutions and Technology, Higher Education, and Ways and Means committees.
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He also serves in Democratic Leadership as the Senate Democratic Whip.
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Before his election to the Ohio Senate in 2022, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives for 8 years (2015–2022).
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He has introduced legislation to bring much-needed reforms to Ohio’s public utilities, raise the state minimum wage, strengthen Ohio’s creative economy, ban dangerous firearm accessories, end the state takeover of public school districts, provide free school breakfasts and lunches, and end the gender wage gap.
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Since 2015, he has been a member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) and has frequently served as Ohio's Lead for NCEL.
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In 2017, he was one of three Ohio State Reps and 37 overall to receive a fellowship for the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, conducted by the Council of State Governments (CSG) at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
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Since Spring 2023, Senator Smith has provided weekly video updates on state government called In Case You Missed It: Statehouse Edition. The videos have won awards for their content and quality.
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His work as a State Senator has earned him legislative awards from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, NOPEC, and the Assembly for the Arts.​
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Kent Smith’s Professional Experience
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Since 2006, Representative Smith has been the head of the Euclid Democratic Party, a position known as the Euclid City Democratic Leader. In addition, he has been a Democratic National Convention delegate in 2016 and 2020. In 2024, he served on the Platform Committee for the 2024 convention.
​Before joining the Ohio General Assembly in 2015, Senator Smith worked for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors’ Office, which included an assignment with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and at four Northeast Ohio nonprofit organizations. His book, Please God Save Us, done in partnership with Cleveland artist Derek Hess, came out on July 4, 2008, received critical praise, and won an award from The Cleveland Scene.
Kent has also been a roller derby announcer for almost 20 years. He has been the announcer for Cleveland’s Burning River Roller Derby team since 2008. He also spent multiple years announcing for Little Steel Derby Girls in Youngstown and The Chicago Outfit. In 2018, he was one of 15 American roller derby voices selected to help announce the 2018 Roller Derby World Cup in Manchester, England.
