Federal, state, and local tenant laws make it illegal for landlords to "discriminate". But people sometimes say "That's discrimination!" without understanding what is prohibited.
Federal laws and tenant laws prevent landlords from discriminating on the grounds of race, religion, sex, ethnic background, and disability. Some state and local laws go further, prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of marital status, sexual orientation, presence of children, and age.
But so long as the landlord is not discriminating on one of the listed grounds, he may rent to whomever he likes. If he doesn't like the fact that you smoke, or if he sees you as a poor credit risk (even if he's wrong), or for some other reason just doesn't like you, there is no tenant law to stop him from refusing to rent to you for that reason.
If you have evidence that he is discriminating on one of the prohibited grounds, contact the local office of the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development or your state or local civil rights agency. Or see a tenant lawyer, who might be able to sue the landlord for money damages.
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