Brad Smith’s Priorities

Veteran. Dad. Business leader. Fighting for working people in Wisconsin’s 6th District.

I’m running for Congress because too many people in Wisconsin are doing everything right and still getting squeezed.

People are working hard, but costs keep rising. Families are struggling with healthcare, housing, and childcare. Young people are wondering whether they will ever be able to afford a home or build a life here. Rural communities are losing farms, hospitals, and opportunity.

That is not an accident. The economy has been tilted toward billionaires, giant corporations, and special interests for far too long.

I’m running to fight for something better. My focus is simple: good jobs and fair wages, affordable healthcare, and education and training for every path.

Good Jobs and Fair Wages

Working people built this country. They should be able to afford to live in it.

I support livable wages, stronger worker protections, and a tax system that stops giving the biggest breaks to the people already at the top. We should reward companies that create good jobs here in Wisconsin, not companies that ship jobs overseas and walk away from our communities.

If a corporation takes public money and then closes a plant, busts a union, or offshores jobs, there should be real consequences.

Healthcare

Access to high quality healthcare must be a right of every citizen.

No one should go broke because they got sick. No family should have to drive hours because their local clinic closed. No senior should have to choose between groceries and prescriptions.

I support protecting and strengthening the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug prices, expanding rural clinics and telehealth, and building toward universal coverage through a strong public option that actually gives people a lower-cost choice.

Education and Training for Every Path

Not everybody’s path looks the same, and that is a good thing.

College matters. So do the trades. So do apprenticeships, technical colleges, and mid-career retraining. We need to stop treating one path like it has more dignity than another.

The GI Bill helped me become the first man Smith in seven generations of my line to graduate from college. I want every Wisconsinite to have a real shot to build a good life, whether that means a four-year degree, a welding certificate, an apprenticeship, or starting over in a new field.

AI and Data Centers

I support innovation, but not at the cost of our people and planet. I do not support giant corporations coming into communities, draining resources, and expecting people to just trust them.

If large data center projects are going to be built, communities deserve full transparency on water use, electricity demand, emissions, and infrastructure impact. We need basic national standards that protect local water, local power systems, and ratepayers.

Progress should not come at the expense of the people who already live there.

Sustainability, Conservation, and Clean Energy

I support a serious transition to renewable energy and a cleaner economy.

That means growing solar and wind, supporting electrification, expanding electric vehicle adoption, and modernizing our infrastructure so Wisconsin is ready for the future. Done right, this creates jobs, lowers long-term energy costs, and helps keep more of our energy dollars here at home.

I also believe conservation is a core responsibility. We need to protect public lands, defend clean water, and preserve the woods, wetlands, and outdoor spaces that define Wisconsin. We should not have to choose between economic growth and protecting the places we hunt, fish, hike, and pass on to our kids.

My view is simple: build the future, protect the land, and leave Wisconsin better than we found it.

Housing

Housing should be for families, not just investors.

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.

If you work hard and play by the rules, you should have a fair shot at owning a home.

Workers and Unions

I am strongly pro-union.

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.

Taxpayer dollars should never be used to help corporations undercut workers.

Family Farms and Rural Communities

Family farms are not just part of our economy. They are part of who we are.

I support fair milk pricing, stronger farm safety nets, investment in young farmers, better rural healthcare, expanded broadband, stronger infrastructure, and clean water protections that work with farmers instead of talking down to them.

Rural Wisconsin deserves more than campaign-season lip service. It deserves real investment and real respect.

Immigration

We need an immigration system that is lawful, workable, and humane.

Wisconsin’s economy depends on workers in agriculture, construction, hospitality, and other industries. 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.

We can enforce the law without losing our humanity.

Reproductive Freedom

Reproductive medical decisions belong to women and families, not politicians.

I support reproductive freedom, women’s right to make their own medical decisions, and ensuring complete access to the full range of women’s healthcare. That includes the full range of reproductive and women’s healthcare, along with maternal healthcare, prenatal care, postpartum care, and preventive care.

This is a question of freedom, privacy, and basic human dignity.

Guns and Public Safety

I’m a gun owner and deer hunter. I believe in the Second Amendment.

I also believe rights come with responsibility. We can respect lawful gun ownership and still support common-sense steps to keep our communities and children safe.

In Wisconsin, this does not have to be a fake choice. We can protect rights and take safety seriously at the same time.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Everyone deserves to live without fear, discrimination, or political targeting.

I support marriage equality and strong anti-discrimination protections in housing, employment, education, and healthcare. I oppose attacks on LGBTQ+ people, especially trans kids, who deserve safety, dignity, and the freedom to be themselves.

Freedom means everybody.

Retirement and Childcare

If people work hard their whole lives, they should be able to retire with dignity.

I support protecting and strengthening Social Security and pushing back against any effort to weaken it.

I also support treating childcare like the essential support system it is. Childcare is too expensive, too hard to find, and too important to ignore. Families need real help, not slogans.

My Approach

I believe people in Wisconsin have more in common than politicians want us to think.

Most people want the same basic things: a decent job, affordable healthcare, a safe community, good schools, a fair shot at a home, and the chance to build a better future for their family and kids’ future.

That’s what I’m running to fight for.

I’m not running to put on a show. I’m running to do the job