The Lies of David B Smith

At a time when too many politicians treat the truth as optional, Oregon voters deserve better. Russ McAlmond has made one promise that sets him apart: he will never lie to the people he seeks to represent.

As a successful businessman whose entire career was built on ethical dealings and straight talk with every client, McAlmond understands that trust is the foundation of leadership. He entered this race in November 2025 and has spent months meeting voters across the state, listening to their concerns and offering real solutions.

He is not a career politician. He is a veteran who risked his life for this country and a citizen who believes public service should be about service—not self-promotion.

His opponent, David B. Smith, represents the opposite approach. Smith jumped into the U.S. Senate race at the very last moment, after McAlmond had already been campaigning for months. Smith has never served in the military. He has never worn the uniform or placed his life on the line for the United States.

Instead, he has earned the nickname “China Dave” for his strong advocacy of closer ties with the Chinese Communist Party on trade - even as McAlmond has publicly asked him, in plain terms, whether he understands that China is an ally of Russia and not of the United States. Smith has never answered that question.

What he has done, repeatedly, is lie about McAlmond in a desperate attempt to boost his own campaign.

Two recent, well-documented examples prove the pattern. First, at a candidate forum in Pendleton, Smith stood before a Republican audience and claimed that Russ McAlmond has less education than he does. That statement was flatly false. McAlmond holds four college degrees—two bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees—and will complete a third master’s degree this May.

No other candidate, Republican or Democrat, running for this U.S. Senate seat matches that level of academic achievement. Smith’s claim was not a slip of the tongue; it was a calculated falsehood delivered in public and later quoted in the newspaper. He said it to try to elevate himself at McAlmond’s expense, hoping voters would not check the facts.

Second, in a public Facebook post directed at McAlmond, Smith claimed he had voted for the so-called “menstrual dignity act” in the Oregon legislature without realizing the bill would place tampons in boys’ restrooms. That, too, is a blatant lie.

The legislation Smith voted for—alongside Democrat legislators and Christine Drazan—explicitly stated that the products would be made available in all bathrooms, including boys’ restrooms. The text of the bill was clear. Smith knew exactly what he was voting for. When the political heat arrived, he tried to rewrite history rather than take responsibility for his own vote.

These are not minor misstatements. They are direct, intentional lies told in front of voters and on social media.

They reveal a candidate who believes winning is more important than integrity. When a politician will lie about something as easily verifiable as another candidate’s education or the plain language of a bill he himself supported, what else will he lie about once he reaches Washington?

Will he lie about taxes? About national security? About the very issues that affect Oregon families every day?

Russ McAlmond has a different standard. He has spent his life proving that honesty is not a weakness—it is the only way to build lasting success. As a veteran, he has already demonstrated the courage to put country first. As a businessman, he has shown that ethical conduct creates real results.

Oregon does not need another career politician who treats voters like props in a campaign. We need a senator who tells the truth, even when it is inconvenient, and who puts the interests of Oregonians ahead of personal ambition.

The choice could not be clearer.

David B. Smith has shown us who he is: a late-entry candidate willing to lie in public to avoid responsibility and to tear down a more qualified opponent. Russ McAlmond has shown us who he is: an honest veteran, a proven businessman, and a candidate who has been in this fight from the beginning because he believes Oregon deserves better.

On Election Day, Republicans have the opportunity to reject the politics of lies and embrace the politics of integrity. We deserve a U.S. Senator who will never lie to us. We deserve Russ McAlmond. Vote for honesty. Vote for experience. Vote for McAlmond for U.S. Senate.