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Al Schmidt

Al Schmidt
82nd Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 17, 2023
Acting: January 17, 2023 – June 29, 2023
GovernorJosh Shapiro
Preceded byLeigh M. Chapman (Acting)
City Commissioner of Philadelphia
In office
January 2, 2012 – January 2, 2022[1]
Preceded byJoseph Duda
Succeeded bySeth Bluestein
Personal details
Bornc. 1972
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseErin
Children3
EducationAllegheny College (BA)
Brandeis University (MA, PhD)
AwardsPresidential Citizens Medal (2023)

Albert Schmidt[2] (born c. 1972[3]) is an American politician and election official who is the current Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, serving since 2023. He was a Philadelphia City Commissioner from 2012 to 2022.

A member of the Republican Party, Schmidt refused to cooperate with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which led him to be publicly attacked by then-President Donald Trump on Twitter.[4][5] Schmidt provided testimony before the January 6 Committee in 2022.[6] He was chosen to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth by Governor Josh Shapiro.[7]

Early life and background

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Schmidt graduated from Allegheny College with a Bachelor of Arts in history, and from Brandeis University with a Doctor of Philosophy in history. He served as an analyst for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States (1999-2001) and the Government Accountability Office (2001-2006).[8]

Political career

Schmidt receives the Presidential Citizens Medal from president Joe Biden in January 2023

Schmidt moved to Philadelphia in 2005, and served as executive director of the Philadelphia Republican City Committee before stepping down in 2009 for an unsuccessful run for City Controller against Democratic incumbent Alan Butkovitz.[8]

City Commissioner

Schmidt was first elected as a Philadelphia City Commissioner in 2011, becoming the only Republican on the three-member municipal election board by winning the one seat reserved for a member who is not part of the majority political party in Philadelphia after he defeated the incumbent minority commissioner, Joseph Duda.[9][10] He was re-elected in 2015 and 2019.

Schmidt refused to cooperate with the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election by publicly refuting claims of voter fraud and resisting calls from within his own party to stop counting mail-in ballots.[11] He called some of President Donald Trump's claims "fantastical" and "completely ridiculous allegations that have no basis in fact at all."[12]

On November 11, 2020, Trump directly attacked Schmidt on Twitter by claiming he "refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty" in Philadelphia.[5] After Trump's tweet, Schmidt testified that "my wife and I received threats that named our children, included my home address and images of my home, and threated [sic] to put their 'heads on spikes.'"[13]

In late November 2021, Schmidt announced he would resign as a City Commissioner to become president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan, pro-democracy Philadelphia-based nonprofit group.[14] On June 13, 2022, Schmidt testified before the January 6 Committee, detailing the threats against him and his family as well as addressing claims of voter fraud in Philadelphia during the 2020 election.[6]

Secretary of the Commonwealth

On January 5, 2023, Schmidt was named by Pennsylvania Governor-elect Josh Shapiro as the Secretary-designate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The following day, on January 6, 2023, Schmidt was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden for demonstrating "courage and selflessness" in opposing efforts to overturn the 2020 election as a City Commissioner.[15][16] Schmidt automatically became full Secretary on June 29 after the Pennsylvania State Senate failed to act within the constitutionally prescribed 25-legislative-day period to confirm his nomination.[17]

In January 2024, Schmidt ordered a court-appointed special master to demand $711,000 in legal reimbursements from the government of Fulton County stemming from a case where Fulton County's Republican commissioners improperly allowed a Trump-affiliated lawyer access to the county's voting machines in order to aid the attempted reversal of Trump's defeat in Pennsylvania.[18]

In February 2024, Shapiro tapped Schmidt to head Pennsylvania's Election Threats Task Force. Ahead of the 2024 elections, the newly created task force will operate as a collaborative effort between both federal and state law enforcement and administration officials working to combat election misinformation and threats against election workers.[19]

Personal

Schmidt and his wife Erin have three children: Maggie, Grace, and Max.[20]

References

  1. ^ Brennan, Chris (November 30, 2021). "Republican Philly elections official who was target of Trump's attacks is resigning". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  2. ^ WATCH LIVE: President Biden awards 12 Citizens Medals on Jan. 6 anniversary. PBS NewsHour. January 6, 2023. Event occurs at 41:37. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Prose, J.D. (January 5, 2023). "Al Schmidt, Shapiro's pick for secretary of state, to receive Presidential Citizens Medal". PennLIVE Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Cameron, Chris (June 13, 2022). "Al Schmidt: A Philadelphia Republican who continued counting votes as Trump's pressure mounted". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Kanik, Hannah (November 11, 2020). "Trump aims Twitter ire at Commissioner Al Schmidt with claim he ignored voter fraud in Philly". Philly Voice.
  6. ^ a b Grabenstein, Hannah (June 13, 2022). "Who is Al Schmidt and why did he testify in the Jan. 6 hearings?". PBS NewsHour.
  7. ^ Montellaro, Zach (January 5, 2023). "Pennsylvania's new Dem governor nominates Republican Schmidt to run state elections". POLITICO. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Prihar, Asha. "10 things to know about Al Schmidt, the former city commissioner tapped for Pa. secretary of state". BillyPenn.
  9. ^ Brennan, Chris (November 30, 2021). "Republican Philly elections official who was target of Trump's attacks is resigning". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  10. ^ Meyer, Katie (November 30, 2021). "Philly's only Republican city commissioner leaving to take over good government group". WHYY-FM. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Verini, James (December 16, 2020). "He Wanted to Count Every Vote in Philadelphia. His Party Had Other Ideas". New York Times.
  12. ^ Behrmann, Savannah (November 14, 2020). "Trump says the battleground states saw election fraud. Republican officials running those states disagree". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Epstein, Reid (January 5, 2023). "Republican Who Rebuffed Trump Is Democrat's Pick for Pennsylvania Election Post". New York Times.
  14. ^ Smith, Allan (January 5, 2023). "Josh Shapiro taps a Republican who stood up to Trump to be Pennsylvania's top elections official". NBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Hooper, Kelly (January 5, 2023). "Biden to award Presidential Citizens Medal to several Jan. 6 heroes". Politico. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Tamari, Jonathan (January 5, 2023). "Ex-Philly elections official Al Schmidt is getting a medal from Joe Biden". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  17. ^ McGoldrick, Gillian (June 29, 2023). "Al Schmidt, Philly's former top Republican elections official, is now officially Pa. secretary of state". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Scoloforo, Mark (February 23, 2024). "Pennsylvania seeks legal costs from county that let outsiders access voting machines to help Trump". ABC News. The Associated Press. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Edelman, Adam (February 29, 2024). "Pennsylvania governor unveils election security task force to mitigate threats to the 2024 vote". NBC News. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  20. ^ After polls close, a new arrival for Al Schmidt, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 7, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
2023–present 		Incumbent
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