Brad Smith

Why should voters send you to congress?

I'm a lifelong Wisconsinite, Army veteran, dad, and business leader. I’m running because too many families are working harder than ever and still falling behind while billionaires and special interests keep getting ahead. My three key campaign pillars: a fair economy, including good-paying jobs that stay in Wisconsin, affordable healthcare as a fundamental right, and education and job training for every path, whether that’s college, the trades, or an apprenticeship. I’ve led soldiers in combat, built businesses, and raised a family here in the 6th District. I know the challenges our communities face because I’ve lived them. I’m not running to serve a party or special interests. I’m running to serve the people of Wisconsin and help rebuild a stronger middle class.

What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?

The core problem: The economy is no longer working for the people who keep it running. Wages aren’t keeping up with rent, groceries, childcare or healthcare. Good jobs are being shipped out or automated away, while the cost of just living life keeps climbing. Solutions:

1) Raise wages by strengthening the right to organize and bargain so workers actually have leverage again.

2) Stop rewarding companies that outsource jobs or cut corners after taking public support. If taxpayers help fund you, you should be creating jobs in the district.

3) Bring down the big cost drivers: healthcare, prescription drugs, childcare, and housing.

4) Invest in training and apprenticeships so workers can move into the jobs that are growing instead of getting left behind by automation and AI.

What expertise would you bring into congress? How would it help your district?

As a veteran, business leader, and first-generation college graduate, I would bring practical, real-world experience to Congress. My experience in the Wisconsin National Guard taught me discipline, accountability, and the importance of putting country over politics. My business background taught me how to manage budgets, support workers, lead teams through times of change, and make decisions that strengthen communities. And because the GI Bill changed my life, I understand how education and training can open doors and change a family's trajectory for generations. I would use that experience to fight for good-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, strong schools, and real solutions that help Wisconsin’s 6th District move forward together.

Should Congress exert more oversight over the president? Why or why not?

Congress not only should exert oversight over the president, it has a duty to do so. The founders didn’t create a system for blind loyalty to any one person in power. They built checks and balances because power concentrates fast, and when it does, working people pay the price. Oversight means sunlight. It means demanding answers when agencies overreach, when taxpayer dollars are misused, or when decisions are made behind closed doors that affect families in Wisconsin. This isn’t about party. It’s about responsibility. If Congress stops doing its job, it stops protecting the people it represents. I’ll support strong, serious oversight of any president, Republican or Democrat, because accountability isn’t optional; it’s the job.

What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?

Wisconsin is where Earth Day was born. In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin helped spark a national environmental movement by organizing the first Earth Day, a moment that started here and spread across the country and the world. It’s one of those quiet Wisconsin facts that says a lot about us: we don’t just talk about protecting the outdoors, we’ve led on it.

Relevant Experience

I am a lifelong Wisconsinite, Army veteran, small business owner and longtime business leader. I served eight years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, rising to staff sergeant and leading soldiers during a 14-month overseas deployment. In business, I worked my way from web designer to senior leadership, helping grow Wisconsin companies from startups to major firms and serving on an executive team that took a company public on the NASDAQ. I now run Kinetic Pursuit, a consulting business helping small and mid-sized companies modernize and grow.

Would you agree to hold in-person town halls if elected? Why or why not?

Yes. Being available and accountable is a basic responsibility of a representative. I would hold regular in-person town halls throughout the 6th District, not just in the largest communities or with friendly audiences. I would also use virtual town halls and other formats to reach people who cannot easily attend in person. People should be able to ask direct questions, hear clear answers and understand why I vote the way I do.

What policies are most important to address Americans' concerns about cost of living?

Families need both higher incomes and lower everyday costs. I will work to strengthen workers’ ability to organize and bargain for better wages, raise the federal minimum wage and reward companies that create good jobs here. I will continue the effort to lower health care and prescription drug costs, expand affordable housing, increase child care options and tax credits. I oppose broad, chaotic tariffs that undermine a stable economy and put the working class further behind.

What changes, if any, should Congress make to federal tax policy?

Congress should make the tax code more progressive and fiscally responsible. I support raising the corporate tax rate, reversing tax breaks tilted toward the wealthiest Americans, closing offshore and other corporate loopholes and strengthening enforcement so people and companies actually pay what they owe. At the same time, we should provide practical relief for working families, including a stronger Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. I also oppose broad tariffs that raise prices on ordinary consumers and act like a hidden, regressive tax.

What should Congress do to prepare workers and the economy for changes due to artificial intelligence and automation?

I have spent much of my career working with technology, and I believe Congress needs to prepare now for the disruption that is coming for workers. Workers should have support when AI changes their jobs, and when automation increases productivity, workers should share in the gains. Employers who displace workers should help fund retraining, income support, continued health care and placement into good jobs. Congress should protect privacy and require transparency and accountability in high-risk uses. We should expand and fund technical colleges, apprenticeships and mid-career training so people can adapt and have support retraining throughout their careers.

What actions would you take, if any, regarding the reduction in federal funding for special education, school meals and Head Start?

I would oppose these reductions and work to restore strong federal support. Congress should fully fund its commitments to students with disabilities through IDEA, protect school meal programs that help children learn, and preserve Head Start as an early education and child care lifeline for families. Federal support is needed to make sure that every child has opportunities no matter what their ZIP code or family income. I support strong public schools, technical education, apprenticeships and affordable higher education so students have consistent, high quality employment pathways following graduation.

What steps can Congress take to alleviate court backlogs in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin runs its own court system, but Congress can help relieve the pressure. I support federal justice grants that help states recruit and retain public defenders, reduce excessive caseloads, modernize case management systems and expand mental health and substance use treatment. We should also support rehabilitation programs that reduce repeat offenses and unnecessary incarceration while preserving accountability for serious crimes. Backlogs are an ongoing problem created by overloaded staff. Federal resources should help states build capacity and handle cases fairly and efficiently.

What federal policies would you prioritize to help address concerns about drug trafficking, overdoses and strains on local law enforcement?

Congress needs a two-track strategy focused on disrupting trafficking networks while also treating addiction as a health and public safety problem. I support stronger federal efforts against fentanyl trafficking, money laundering and large-scale distribution. We need better intelligence, inspections, technology and support for local law enforcement task forces. We should also expand treatment, recovery services, mental health care, Naloxone access and programs that reduce repeat offenses. We need to ensure that local police have the resources necessary to target traffickers without also asking them to solve addiction, homelessness and mental illness by themselves.

How significant an issue is climate change? What would you advocate for related to climate change if elected?

Climate change is a significant and real long-term threat to our economy, public health, farms, water and natural resources. I support science-based policy, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and a strong, fully staffed EPA and NOAA. I would expand clean and renewable energy investment, modernize the electric grid, support local and household energy generation, invest in conservation and create good paying jobs through the transition. Large new energy users, including hyperscale data centers, must meet rigorous standards so communities and residential ratepayers are not forced to absorb environmental damage or infrastructure costs.

Wisconsin’s bipartisan support for a PFAS law to hold polluters accountable and the state's lower maximum contaminant levels for drinking water put it out in front nationally on forever-chemical protections. Some say the best way to prevent PFAS contaminations is to outlaw their use, while others hope to reverse the regulations. How important is this issue? What still needs to be addressed? How should remediation costs be raised?

PFAS contamination is a serious clean water and public health issue. We should prevent new contamination by phasing out nonessential PFAS, enforcing strong drinking water standards, requiring better testing and disclosure and funding research on removal and replacement of PFAS. Cleanup costs should fall first on the manufacturers and polluters responsible, not innocent homeowners, farmers, communities or ratepayers. Federal funding should help communities where contamination is widespread or the responsible party cannot cover the full cost. I also want practical rules that protect water without unfairly punishing farmers who did not create the contamination.

Non-citizen immigrants make up a significant portion of the home health and nursing home workforce. What do you think about federal immigration policy, especially as it relates to the immigrant workforce among Wisconsin’s home health aides and nursing home staff?

Wisconsin’s health care and long-term care systems depend heavily on immigrant workers, and mass removals worsen already serious staffing shortages. I support a lawful immigration system with more stable work visas based on identified workforce needs and a path to legal status for long-term, law-abiding workers. Caregivers should also have strong labor protections and the freedom to leave abusive employers so immigration status cannot be used to suppress wages or working conditions. We can have safe and secure borders while also creating legal, reliable pathways that protect patients, workers and Wisconsin’s care system. These are not mutually exclusive.