How effective is Fred Smith in the legislature?
The Clayton Republican was first elected to the state Senate in 2002, and has been re-elected twice.
His rankings in the biannual survey by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research haven't been high, but his effectiveness has been hurt by being in the minority throughout his tenure.
In 2003, Smith was ranked the 30th most effective legislature out of 50, and in 2005, he was ranked the 31st out of 49. The 2007 rankings will be released next summer.
Smith has complained that Democratic leaders have blocked action on some of his bills, especially a bill to put a constitutional ban on gay marriage to a state referendum.
"Instead of debating the merits of my proposal, the Senate Democratic leadership sent it to die in a committee that doesn't meet," he wrote in his autobiography. "That's not how democracy should work."
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