Stephen Edward Smith

Many of Kennedy's younger campaign workers considered Smith to be a has-been who did not understand modern campaign advertising, strategy, or fund raising. Kennedy lost to Carter and chose to not run again.

Smith was known as a tough, aggressive and sometimes abrasive operator in both the financial and political worlds. Some creditors who were owed money by the three Kennedy campaigns were allegedly offered twenty cents on the dollar, with the rate soon to decline if they didn't settle. In particular, the RFK campaign of 1968 ended with a $5 million debt ($30,000,000 in 2007 dollars). The Kennedy family agreed to help pay the debts, which took years to settle. Read Less