Democrat · Wisconsin's 6th District · 2026
Brad Smith
Smith still deer hunts with relatives at the family farm where he spent childhood weekends.
Biography
Brad Smith spent childhood weekends at his grandparents' dairy farm in Iola and still hunts deer there with family.1 He and his wife, Jennifer, are raising two sons in Mequon, where he has coached LEGO robotics.1 His own outdoor interests include mountain biking, trail running and skiing.1
Raised in Neenah, Smith enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard after high school and served as a forward observer, reaching staff sergeant.1 GI Bill support helped him study digital media design and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, followed by an MBA through the UW System.1
His business career began at a Milwaukee software company, where he moved from web design into senior management.1 He later worked at larger companies and startups and now operates a consulting business.1 His platform emphasizes better wages, worker protections and support for employers that keep jobs in Wisconsin.2
Smith supports a public health insurance option, rural clinics and telehealth, and more affordable education and retraining.2 He also favors fairer milk pricing and stronger protections for communities hosting data centers.2 The Democrat faces Republican Glenn Grothman, Green candidate Matthew Arndt and independents Elizabeth Fitzgibbon and Mike Thurow in November.3