'''Jason Thomas Smith''' (born June 16, 1980) is a [[Missouri]] businessman, lawyer, and politician who currently represents Missouri's 8th Congressional District in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. A member of the [[Republican]] Party who is generally considered one of its more [[conservative]] congressmen, he has served in the House since his first election in June 2013, following a career in the Missouri state legislature.
A [[conservative populism|conservative populist]] and strong [[Trump]] supporter, Rep. Smith was elected on the second ballot in a tight race for the coveted chairmanship of the House [[Ways and Means Committee]] in [[Congress]], on January 9, 2023.<ref>https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/01-9-2023/smith-wins-ways-and-means/</ref>
“Smith, who advocates positioning the GOP as the party of the working class, represents a shift in Republican economic strategy away from the pro–[[free trade]], pro-business alignment it’s espoused for decades,” observed reporters Laura Davison and Chris Cioffi for Bloomberg.<ref>https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/newsletter/20230109-House-Republicans-Next-Big-Fight</ref>