The charges
Smith acknowledged trying to use petitions that contained forged signatures he knew were false. He also admitted to forging a dead woman’s signature on a nominating petition.
Judge Schwartz said the offense had undermined the integrity of the election process but noted that Smith had accepted responsibility for his actions. Smith declined to address the judge during sentencing and declined to comment to reporters outside the courthouse.
Smith’s attorney, Kurt Altman, told the judge that his client was mortified by his conduct and would never run for public office again. “He realizes that things got out of hand,” Altman said. “And in today’s political atmosphere, things get out of hand very quickly. He is embarrassed by the lapse in judgment.”
Altman said Smith has started an agricultural business.
Background
Smith had held a leadership role at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, which has grown into a significant force in Arizona Republican politics. He resigned from that position in April 2024, at the same time he dropped his reelection bid after questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions. His biography at the organization stated he had been recruited in 2019 by Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk and Tyler Bowyer, a top leader of the group.
Before the criminal case, Smith publicly supported a Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. That review ended without producing evidence to support claims the election had been stolen. Smith also sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to ban voting by mail and ran campaign ads criticizing political elites for breaking election laws.
When signature allegations first surfaced, Smith portrayed them as a coordinated attack by Democrats that was “silly on its face,” while saying he would exit the race to avoid accumulating legal bills.