Jennifer J. Smith (born 1973) is an American educator and politician, serving as an Iowa House Representative for the 72nd district, which is in Dubuque County. She is a member of the Iowa Republican Party.
In April 2026, an article was published by the Iowa Starting Line which included pictures that appeared to show Iowa legislative pages stuffing political mailouts with information that pertained to Smith's reelection campaign "in an apparent violation of state law". Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley was asked about the situation and acknowledged that he saw the pictures, but declined to comment further.
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Career
Smith attended Normal Community High School before attending Illinois State University, where she received her B.S. in mathematics and her M.S. in economics. She would then go on to receive her Ph.D. in economics at Northern Illinois University. She now works as an assistant professor of economics at Loras College in Dubuque.
Smith ran for and won Iowa State House District 72 in 2024, defeating Democratic incumbent Charles Isenhart. Smith previously unsuccessfully ran for the 72nd district in 2022, only losing by 94 votes. She was also the Republican nominee for the 50th district in the 2020 Iowa State Senate elections.
2025-2027 Committee assignments
Source:
State Government (vice chair)
Local Government
Natural Resources
Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee
Personal life
Smith was born in 1973 in Madison, Wisconsin. She has lived in Knob Noster, Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; and Bloomington, Illinois. She now resides in Dubuque with her husband, John Kielty, and her two adult stepchildren.