Daniel Smith Jr. is using the name recognition he gained from his losing a state legislative race last year to launch a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly in the 16th Congressional District next year.

“Kelly will talk a good talk, but walking it is a different story,” Smith, 43, said Monday ahead of a campaign tour that will have him make stops around the district Tuesday and Wednesday, including at The Confluence coffee shop, 214 East Washington St., New Castle.

The 16th District includes Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford and Erie counties and parts of Butler County. In November, Kelly, R-Butler, beat Erie attorney Ron DiNicola 52 to 47 percent.

“Ron showed how close one can get, and I’d like to take it a step further,” Smith said.

Smith is an Adams Township resident who dropped out of college but worked his way up the ladder to become a manager at BNY Mellon. Last fall, he challenged state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry Township, but lost 58 to 42 percent.

However, Smith said he kept the race close in Cranberry, even winning Metcalfe’s home precinct and outperformed DiNicola in the area. Smith acknowledged that a Democratic winning in Erie is expected, but it will take much work to capture the rest of the district.

If he wins the Democratic nomination and eventually defeats Kelly, Smith said he would be the first openly gay member of Congress in state history. Like last year, though, Smith, who is married, said he won’t use his sexuality in the campaign with voters facing serious issues on health care, education and jobs.

Were Kelly to focus on him being gay, Smith said it would simply highlight Kelly’s inability to defend his voting record and staunch support for President Donald Trump.

Another personal aspect of his life that Smith expects could be fodder for opponents is his mother’s criminal history and the fact that she served time in federal prison for embezzlement.

Smith said the experience taught him about the federal prison system and allowed his mother to rehabilitate herself spiritually, mentally and physically. “She’s a better person for it,” he said.

A gun owner, Smith said he supports Second Amendment rights, but acknowledged that firearms owners should follow the rules, which could be “enhanced.” Smith also described himself as pro-choice on abortion, citing a medical situation faced by loved ones as an example of the hard decisions some pregnant women have to make.

Ultimately, though, Smith said voters are “sick of partisan gridlock” and Kelly refusing to answer to constituents for his unwavering support for Trump.

“We pledge allegiance to a district,” Smith said, “and not a president.”