Smith is the son of James and Janice Smith who also were born and raised in the
Mt. Lebanon,
Pennsylvania. Smith is a graduate of
Rollins College at
Winter Park,
Florida with a degree in history. He graduated from the
Duquesne University School of Law with honors in 1999. He lives in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania with his wife, Eileen Smith. Prior to elective office, Smith worked for Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. Smith was elected to the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006, defeating 21-year-old Republican Mark Harris, who had defeated incumbent
Tom Stevenson in the Republican primary. Smith was elected to the
Pennsylvania State Senate in 2012, defeating Republican opponent Dakshinamurthy "D." Raja. Raja spent $5 million on his campaign, while Smith spent only $1 million. Pennsylvania Senate minority leader
Jay Costa announced in May 2015 that Smith would be stepping down from the Senate, effective in June 2015, to become President of the
Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. ==Electoral history==