Born to a working class family in a north Georgia mill town in 1963, Robin Smith developed a work ethic reflecting her drive for excellence. She maintains the priority of leaving a legacy of integrity and character based on her strong Christian faith.

 

Service became an interest of Robin’s at the University of Tennessee when she helped a friend win a victory as a candidate for Governor of Girls’ State, followed by her own election as a Senator in UT’s Student Government.

 

Following her graduation from UT in 1985, Robin worked on the front lines of health care as a critical care and transplant nurse at the renowned medical center of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, giving her hands on experience in dealing with the health care issue. Robin returned to her home in Hamilton County to pursue a career in sales and marketing before starting her own small business. In Hamilton County, Robin again involved herself in public service through the county Republican Party. Whether placing yard and roadside signs for local candidates, writing letters to the editor or running county wide campaigns for trustees, Robin has been a living example of grassroots involvement.

 

Serving as Chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party from1998-2002, the county party made gains under Robin’s leadership with the only Republican to unseat an incumbent Democrat State Representative in Tennessee in 2002. During Robin’s tenure, the county party established a sustainable fund raising program and was honored by the local NAACP and the City of Chattanooga for its work and commitment to the inner city children of Chattanooga. During this time she also served all Tennesseans as she was appointed to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. 

 

With her husband Scott, she has made a wonderful home for their children, Callie, 18 and Caleb, 16 in Hixson. The Smiths have instilled the same spirit of service in their children and are very active in their church, Hixson Central Baptist.

 

Active in the U.S. Senate campaigns of Senators Frist, Thompson, Alexander and Corker along with leadership roles in both presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, Robin has served as a surrogate speaker and as an organizational contact for candidates as well as Tennessee and national Republican Party organizations. She was elected to serve as a delegate to the 2004 Republican National Convention and served as a member of the Rules Committee while leading the Tennessee delegation to the 2008 convention.

 

On August 4, 2007, the State Executive Committee of the Tennessee Republican Party unanimously elected Robin Chairman of the state party. She began her tenure with two promises: that Republicans would capture majorities in the State Legislature to “Take the Hill” and her term would be marked by the same servant leadership she has brought to all of her public service efforts.

As Chairman, Robin immediately moved to restructure the party operation using sound business practices, adherence to principle and an unprecedented communications effort, creating a model that would deliver historic results. She worked with community leaders to successfully launch two new coalition groups in the state: The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Tennessee and the Republican Jewish Coalition. Her focus was to unite the various coalitions in the GOP and expand the reach of the Tennessee Republican Party.

On November 4, 2008, Robin made good on her promise to take the hill by leading the Tennessee Republican Party to a stunning victory, sweeping 14 non-incumbent races statewide and giving Republicans the majority of seats in the Legislature for the first time in 140 years. Thanks to her efforts, Republicans gained control of the election commissions across the state and elected Republicans to the offices of Secretary of State, Treasurer and Comptroller. The Tennessee Republican Party achieved national acclaim for its success grounded in principle in a horrible year for national Republicans. While many representatives in Washington have forgotten what they stand for, Robin built a winning campaign on conviction and speaking honestly with Tennesseans.

Her efforts as the most successful chairman in Tennessee Republican Party history were recognized by the State Executive Committee on December 5, 2008 as she was again unanimously elected to a new term.

 

Robin stepped down as Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party on May 30, 2009 to become a candidate to represent Tennessee’s Third Congressional District in Congress. For over twenty years, she has used her passion for service to help others win office and stand for the values that make Tennessee great. Now, for the first time, she is bringing her lifetime of experience as a wife, a working mom, a health care provider and a tested leader to her own campaign for office, but her commitment remains the same: representing the people of Tennessee and fighting for us in Washington.