State Sen. Ralph K. Smith (R-Roanoke) has received letters from many angry Virginians about his vote for the $700 billion federal bailout for Wall Street.

But they've got the wrong Sen. Smith.

The Sen. Smith who voted for the bailout is Sen. Gordon H. Smith, a Republican U.S. senator from Oregon.

The Sen. Ralph Smith is a state legislator, unable to vote on congressional legislation. For the record, he would have voted no if given the chance.

"A number of Virginians wrote to me angry that Sen. Smith voted for the pork-laden bailout,'' he wrote in a letter to the public posted online. "They were correct to be angry, but it was U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon who voted for the bill, not state Sen. Ralph Smith of Botetourt County. If I had a vote on this legislation, I would have been happy to join (Virginia) Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Virgil Goode in voting no."

By Anita Kumar  |  October 17, 2008; 9:48 AM ET
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