By Holland Powell

“Arkansas deserves a fighter,” according to Princella Smith, the 26-year-old Ouachita alumna and candidate for the District 1 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Wynne, Ark., native feels she can make the state “a better place to live and work and raise a family.”

 “It’s (Arkansas) already a great place but there are some things that need to be improved,” Smith said. “Certain members have forgotten why they got elected. It’s just as much about the first district as it is about electing people to Congress who are going to make good decisions for the entire country.”

 In the past decade Smith has worked for Win Rockefeller, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, RNC Chair Michael Steele and Rep. John Boozman, and she has recently announced her running for the District 1 seat. She now plans to spend her time listening to the concerns of citizens on urgent, relevant issues in the state.

 “I’m going to hit every corner of his district trying to court votes and trying to listen to people and listen to what issues they feel are the most important,” Smith said. “Their answer [will probably] be jobs and the economy, education, health care, national security.”

 If Smith is elected to the District 1 seat, she will become the first African American female Republican in America and the first African American post-confederacy from Arkansas to be elected to a congressional seat. According to Smith, this would have a significant effect on the diversity of the Republican party, something she has been very outspoken about.

 “It [Republican party] needs to look like America,” she said. “We need to seek out people to run for office who embody those demographics.”

 Even though Smith is not using her race or gender to run for the seat, she believes she will have an advantage when engaging Arkansans about their values.

 “At the end of the day white people will vote for me just as much as black people because I share their values,” she said.
 Smith’s experience at Ouachita and her encounter with professors here has shaped her life course and her “intense love” for the values that Arkansans hold. She has always had an interest in politics and believed she would run for office.

 “At Ouachita I was surrounded by a good group of people,” Smith said. “Our professors in the political science department were good professors. I enjoyed nearly ever professor.”

 Dr. Ben Elrod, former Ouachita president, was one of several who impacted Smith.

  “People like him took interest in me and nurtured my love for political science and [it is} people like that I appreciate,” she said.

 Smith was very active in college Republicans while at Ouachita which led to her success in a national speaking contest in 2004 which happened “all because of Ouachita,” according to Smith.

 Smith encourages Ouachita students to take advantage of every aspect of the college experience and she believes this is what “catapulted” her faster into her desired career field.

 “Try to pay attention in class and get all that you can from your education,” Smith said. “Some people go through college and they don’t take advantage of everything around them. It’s not just about academic work, it’s about taking advantage of things like internships.”

 According to Smith, there will be people who will tell others that they cannot make a difference. But, “if you stop every time because someone says you can’t do it, you will never do it.”

 Tradition is not always the most effective example to follow when encouraging change, according to Smith who also says that prayer is an essential part of knowing how to go about influencing change through non-traditional ways.

 “You have to go your own way; everything is not done traditionally,” she said. “If you look at true heroes of history, the real true ones that stood out, a lot of them did not go the traditional way.”

 Smith, in her political career thus far, has felt strong support from the Ouachita sphere and has a special place in her heart for OBU. She also requests more prayer for her at this serious time.

 “I take this very seriously,” Smith said. “I’m doing it because I feel that I’ve been called to do it. This 2010 election cycle is like none that we have seen in a while. People want real solutions for real problems.”