--- title: "Smith vs. Grothman: 2026 Wisconsin’s 6th District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-wi-06" updated: "2026-08-31" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Wisconsin’s 6th District race: Bradley Smith (D) vs. Glenn Grothman (R) Rating: Likely R · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: August 31, 2026 The general election for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District features Democratic challenger Bradley Smith, an Army National Guard veteran and management consultant, against six-term Republican incumbent Glenn Grothman. The campaign hinges on border security and immigration policy, economic inflation and tax relief, healthcare reform, energy transition, and democratic institutions. ## Candidates - **Bradley Smith** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) - **Glenn Grothman** (Republican) · [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Glenn_Grothman) ## Issues ### Border security and immigration Salience: high Grothman favors strict border enforcement, mandatory detentions, and deportation measures, whereas Smith supports expanding legal work visas and creating a path to legal status for long-term residents. **Bradley Smith:** Supports humane legal immigration pathways Smith advocates for a lawful, workable, and humane immigration system that expands legal work opportunities for essential sectors like agriculture, construction, and hospitality. He supports establishing a realistic path to legal status for long-term law-abiding undocumented workers already contributing to local communities. - Expand legal pathways for agricultural, construction, and hospitality workers - Establish a realistic path to legal status for long-term law-abiding undocumented workers - Combine border enforcement with humane treatment > “We need an immigration system that is lawful, workable, and humane.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) > “We need more legal pathways for people to work where our economy clearly needs them, along with a realistic path to legal status for law-abiding long-term workers who are already part of our communities.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports strict border enforcement Grothman makes securing the southern border and overhauling federal immigration policy a top legislative priority. He consistently votes for strict enforcement, including mandatory detention, deportation for crimes like DUI or theft, and requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. - Secure national borders and overhaul the immigration system - Voted for the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2) and Laken Riley Act (S. 5) - Voted for the DUI Deportation Act (H.R. 875) to deport noncitizens convicted of driving while impaired > “Secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) ### Economy, taxes, and cost of living Salience: high Smith seeks to raise corporate taxes and minimum wages to support working families, while Grothman opposes tax increases and advocates cutting federal spending and assistance penalties. **Bradley Smith:** Supports pro-worker taxation and higher wages Smith focuses on building an economy that prioritizes working families over corporate interests and billionaires. He advocates raising the minimum wage, rewarding companies that create local jobs, closing corporate tax loopholes, and imposing consequences on corporations that take public funds while offshoring jobs or busting unions. - Raise the minimum wage and fight for livable worker wages - Close corporate tax loopholes and end tax breaks for the wealthy - Penalize corporations that take public funds then offshore jobs or oppose unions > “I will focus on rewarding companies that hire in our local communities, fight for livable wages for every worker, and make affordability a priority so everyone can thrive.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) > “We need to close loopholes that are exploited by mega corporations, reward businesses that create jobs locally, and invest in things that strengthen local communities such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports spending cuts and tax reduction Grothman emphasizes spending restraint, lowering taxes, and eliminating government penalties on marriage within assistance programs. He signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and consistently votes for federal debt limits and budget reduction resolutions. - Eliminate the marriage penalty for government assistance programs - Signed the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge - Voted for tax and spending reconciliation measures including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) and Limit, Save, Grow Act (H.R. 2811) > “Get rid of the marriage penalty for government assistance programs.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) ### Healthcare and prescription drugs Salience: high Smith advocates establishing a public insurance option and expanding coverage rights, while Grothman focuses on market-based solutions like increasing generic drug availability. **Bradley Smith:** Supports low-cost public option and coverage expansions Smith views healthcare as a fundamental right and proposes creating a low-cost public option to compete with private insurers. He supports protecting pre-existing condition coverage, lowering prescription drug prices, and expanding rural health clinics and telehealth access. - Create a low-cost public option available to all citizens - Protect coverage guarantees for pre-existing conditions - Expand funding for rural healthcare clinics and telehealth services > “I will fight to build a low-cost public option that competes with the best private insurance, available to all. Healthcare should be a basic right in the richest country in the world.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) > “Access to high quality healthcare must be a right of every citizen.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports expanding market access for generic drugs Grothman advocates market-oriented healthcare reforms, focusing on bringing more generic medications to market to reduce costs for patients. He serves as Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services. - Promote regulatory approval of generic prescription medications to lower drug prices - Chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services > “Get more generic medication on the market.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) ### Education and workforce training Salience: medium Both candidates support technical and skills-based education, but Smith emphasizes increasing federal funding for public schools and trades while Grothman highlights loan refinancing and skills training. **Bradley Smith:** Supports public school funding and technical trades Smith supports increasing funding for public schools and expanding access to technical colleges, apprenticeships, and mid-career retraining. He advocates for respecting all educational paths equally without burdening students with excessive debt. - Increase public school funding - Expand access to trade schools, apprenticeships, and technical colleges - Support mid-career retraining programs for workers > “I will work to increase public school funding and expand access to technical colleges, apprenticeships, and affordable higher education so every Wisconsinite can gain the skills needed to succeed in a changing economy.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports skills-based education and student loan refinancing Grothman promotes skills-based education and practical career training tailored to local labor markets. He also advocates allowing borrowers to refinance student loans to relieve debt burdens and supports open work centers for individuals with disabilities. - Promote skills-based education and vocational training - Allow student loan refinancing - Keep open work centers for individuals with disabilities > “Promote skills-based education.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) > “Refinance student loans.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) ### Energy, environment, and technology Salience: medium Smith advocates renewable energy expansion and strict environmental oversight for tech data centers, while Grothman supports boosting domestic fossil fuel extraction and easing pipeline permitting. **Bradley Smith:** Supports clean energy transition and data center oversight Smith supports transitioning to clean energy through solar, wind, and electric vehicles while protecting public lands and natural resources. He also calls for strict regulatory hurdles, transparency, and environmental protections for massive data center developments, requiring them to utilize local union labor with prevailing wages. - Expand solar, wind, and clean energy infrastructure - Enforce strict regulatory hurdles and transparency requirements on large data centers - Require data center projects to hire local union labor with prevailing wages > “I support a serious transition to renewable energy and a cleaner economy.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) > “No community should be kept in the dark while these are being planned or left guessing about the impacts these massive data centers will have on its water, its electricity costs, or its environment.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports domestic fossil fuel production Grothman advocates expanding traditional domestic energy production, including oil, natural gas, and coal. He voted for the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) to streamline energy project permitting and reduce federal restrictions on pipelines and refineries. - Increase domestic oil, natural gas, and coal production - Streamline federal permitting for pipelines, energy projects, and refineries - Voted for the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) ### Democracy, government reform, and elections Salience: medium Smith advocates expanding voting access, outlawing gerrymandering, and enlarging the House size, whereas Grothman focuses on election integrity and strict citizenship verification for voter registration. **Bradley Smith:** Supports nonpartisan redistricting and House expansion Smith proposes structural political reforms, including outlawing gerrymandering via nonpartisan commissions, expanding the House of Representatives beyond 435 members, and enacting automatic voter registration. He also supports congressional term limits, banning stock trading by lawmakers, and granting full representation to D.C. and Puerto Rico. - Require nonpartisan commissions to draw electoral maps and outlaw gerrymandering - Uncap and expand the House of Representatives beyond 435 members - Enact automatic and same-day voter registration - Support term limits and ban congressional stock trading > “I would enact legislation to outlaw gerrymandering and require all election maps to be drawn by nonpartisan commissions, ensuring voters choose their representatives, not the other way around.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bradley_Smith_%28Wisconsin%29) > “I support expanding the House so districts are smaller, representation is more direct, and every citizen have a stronger voice in Washington.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports proof-of-citizenship voting requirements Grothman emphasizes restoring voter trust and election integrity. He voted for the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), which mandates that individuals present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. - Restore voter confidence and election integrity - Voted for the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration > “Restore integrity to our elections.” > — Glenn Grothman, via [Campaign site](https://glenngrothman.com) ### Reproductive freedom and abortion Salience: medium Smith supports federal reproductive freedom rights and abortion protections, while Grothman opposes abortion access and is endorsed by pro-life organizations. **Bradley Smith:** Supports federal reproductive freedom rights Smith strongly supports reproductive freedom, arguing healthcare choices belong to women and families rather than politicians. He advocates protecting legal abortion and ensuring full access to maternal, prenatal, postpartum, and preventive healthcare. - Protect legal abortion access and reproductive freedom - Ensure full access to maternal, prenatal, and preventive care - Oppose political restrictions on women's medical decisions > “Reproductive medical decisions belong to women and families, not politicians.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) > “We’ll defend reproductive freedom and ensure women, not politicians, have the right to make their own healthcare choices.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Opposes abortion access Grothman opposes abortion rights and maintains a strongly pro-life voting record. He received the endorsement of the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC for his re-election campaign. - Endorsed by the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC - Opposes abortion access and supports restrictions on abortion services ### LGBTQ+ rights Salience: low Smith supports broad anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, whereas Grothman voted to restrict biological males from competing in female sports. **Bradley Smith:** Supports non-discrimination and trans protections Smith supports marriage equality and federal anti-discrimination protections in housing, employment, healthcare, and education. He opposes political targeting of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender youth. - Defend marriage equality - Enact comprehensive anti-discrimination protections in housing, jobs, and healthcare - Oppose legislation targeting transgender youth > “I support marriage equality and strong anti-discrimination protections in housing, employment, education, and healthcare.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports restricting male participation in female sports Grothman voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28), which prohibits school athletic programs from allowing biological males to compete in female sports categories. - Voted for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28) ### Agriculture and rural communities Salience: low Smith outlines explicit platform policies on fair milk pricing and rural broadband, while Grothman's documented record relies on standard agricultural appropriations votes. **Bradley Smith:** Supports family farm safety nets and infrastructure Smith advocates for family farms by supporting fair milk pricing, robust safety nets, year-round legal workforce solutions, expanded rural broadband, and rural healthcare access. He emphasizes working cooperatively with farmers on clean water initiatives. - Implement fair milk pricing and strengthen farm safety nets - Provide year-round legal workforce solutions for agriculture - Expand rural broadband and rural healthcare access > “Fair milk pricing, year-round legal workforce solutions, broadband on every farm, and policies that level the playing field so family farms can compete and thrive.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** Supports agricultural funding bills Grothman supports federal funding for agricultural operations, voting for continuing appropriations legislation that maintained funding for agricultural programs. - Voted for agriculture continuing appropriations in H.R. 5371 ### Housing affordability Salience: medium **Bradley Smith:** Supports expanding supply and curbing institutional buyers Smith advocates expanding the housing supply by building affordable units near jobs and schools and relaxing zoning for duplexes and triplexes. He supports protecting renters from predatory fees and banning large private investment firms from purchasing single-family homes. - Build affordable housing near employment and transit centers - Expand practical housing options like duplexes and triplexes - Ban large investment firms from buying single-family homes > “Housing should be for families, not just investors.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) > “I support building more affordable housing near jobs and schools, expanding practical options like duplexes and triplexes, protecting renters from predatory fees and extreme rent hikes, and pushing back on large investment firms that buy up homes and shut working families out of the market.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** No documented position in our sources ### Labor and union protections Salience: medium **Bradley Smith:** Supports union rights and PRO Act Smith is strongly pro-union and supports passing the PRO Act to safeguard collective bargaining rights. He advocates restoring prevailing wage standards and enforcing project labor agreements on publicly funded infrastructure projects. - Support the federal PRO Act to protect worker organization rights - Restore prevailing wage protections - Require Project Labor Agreements for taxpayer-funded construction > “Workers should have the freedom to organize, bargain, and earn fair wages. I support the PRO Act, prevailing wage protections, and project labor agreements because when public money funds big projects, those jobs should support skilled workers and local families.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** No documented position in our sources ### Gun policy and Second Amendment Salience: low **Bradley Smith:** Supports background checks and red flag laws Smith, a gun owner and hunter, supports Second Amendment rights alongside common-sense gun safety measures. He advocates for universal background checks, red flag laws, and safe storage requirements to prevent gun violence. - Enact universal background checks for all gun purchases - Implement red flag laws to prevent individuals in crisis from accessing firearms - Require secure firearm storage > “As a responsible gun owner, I support common-sense safety measures such as universal background checks, red flag laws, and secure storage.” > — Bradley Smith, via [Campaign site](https://www.bradsmithforcongress.com/) **Glenn Grothman:** No documented position in our sources ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/wi-06-house-election-winner) — WI-06 House Election Winner: Republicans 92.0%, Democrats 8.3% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXHOUSERACE-WI06-26) — WI-06 House winner?: Glenn Grothman 92.0%, Brad Smith 8.8% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXWIPRIMARY-06R26) — WI-06 Republican nominee?: Glenn Grothman 99.0%, Jonathan Peetz 1.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXWIPRIMARY-06D26) — WI-06 Democratic nominee?: Brad Smith 99.0%, Kortney Oldham 1.0%, Aaron Wojciechowski 1.0% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-wi-06)