U.S. House, Wisconsin 6th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District?
Glenn Grothman has the strongest record in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District. Glenn Grothman scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Glenn Grothman's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Matthew Arndt (5 of 15 criteria), Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon (4 of 15 criteria), Brad Smith (7 of 15 criteria) and Mike Thurow (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Wisconsin Green
Matthew Arndt
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 44
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Glenn Grothman
70 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 63
Democratic
Brad Smith
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 7 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Mike Thurow
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Matthew Arndt
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Glenn Grothman
- On the record2024-01-12
PolitiFact Wisconsin rated False his December 2023 statement that the government was 'wrongly' granting citizenship to people born in the U.S.; it has rated four of his statements False since 2019.
Sources: PolitiFact, Jan. 12, 2024, PolitiFact, Glenn Grothman
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on the objections to counting Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes, while House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy voted Yea.
- Credit2025-2026
Chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
- Credit2025-02
Held an open in-person town hall near Oshkosh that filled to capacity, with about 50 more people outside.
Sources: WPR, March 13, 2025, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Yahoo), Feb. 2025
- Credit2025
His office reports assisting 1,079 constituents with casework in 2025.
Source: Office site, home page
- Credit2024-10-02
His Congressional Budget Office Data Access Act (H.R. 7184) was enacted through its Senate companion, S. 1549, signed Oct. 2, 2024.
Brad Smith
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mike Thurow
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Matthew Arndt. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on July 3, 2026; his committee is registered with the FEC.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10081083, FEC candidate page
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 3, 2026 after a filing extension. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077401, House Committee on Ethics site search for Grothman, FEC administrative fines search
Brad Smith. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082926, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Thurow. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed July 13, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078034, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Voted Nay on both January 2021 electoral objections when GOP Leader McCarthy voted Yea, and against the March 2024 appropriations package, the April 2024 Ukraine supplemental and a January 2026 appropriations bill backed by Majority Leader Scalise.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 102, March 22, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 151, April 20, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 7, 2026
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Held an open in-person town hall near Oshkosh in February 2025 where about 100 constituents filled the room and 50 more waited outside. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: WPR, March 13, 2025, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Yahoo), Feb. 2025
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Served in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate from 1993 to 2014 and in the U.S. House since 2015. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Glenn Grothman, House Committee on Ethics site search for Grothman
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Voted Nay on the January 2021 objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors and is not among the House signers of the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus brief. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Brad Smith. Served as a staff sergeant in the Wisconsin National Guard, including a 14-month deployment. No official finding of misconduct found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Matthew Arndt. A CPA and financial adviser who owns tax accounting and finance businesses. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Matthew Arndt (2026 survey answers), Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Matthew Arndt
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. Describes herself as a mother, phlebotomist and advocate; no public office or documented leadership role found.
Source: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
Glenn Grothman. In the U.S. House since January 2015, seeking a seventh term, after 21 years in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Brad Smith. Owns and runs the consulting firm Kinetic Pursuit, says he helped grow companies from startups to public firms, and served in the National Guard. Has not held public office.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Brad Smith, Ballotpedia, Bradley Smith (2025 survey answers)
Mike Thurow. Works as a firefighter and hazardous materials director. Has not held elected office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Matthew Arndt. States positions in general terms, led by the cost of living.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. States positions in general terms on constitutional limits, transparency and costs.
Source: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
Glenn Grothman. Chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services and also sits on the Budget, Education and Workforce, and Judiciary committees; publishes key issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Brad Smith. States positions in general terms on jobs, health care and job training.
Mike Thurow. States positions in general terms, including breaking up monopolies, banning congressional stock trading and housing supply.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Matthew Arndt. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and the Wisconsin Watch questionnaire, and publishes a campaign site (two channels under E8).
Sources: Ballotpedia, Matthew Arndt, Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Matthew Arndt
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and the Wisconsin Watch questionnaire, and publishes a campaign site (two channels under E8).
Sources: Ballotpedia, Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon, Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
Glenn Grothman. Offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and held an in-person town hall in 2025. Did not answer the Wisconsin Watch 2026 questionnaire or Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, WPR, March 13, 2025, Ballotpedia, Glenn Grothman
Brad Smith. Completed Ballotpedia's survey (2025) and the Wisconsin Watch 2026 questionnaire, and publishes a campaign site (two channels under E8).
Sources: Ballotpedia, Bradley Smith, Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Brad Smith
Mike Thurow. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and the Wisconsin Watch questionnaire, and publishes a campaign site (two channels under E8).
Sources: Ballotpedia, Mike Thurow, Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Mike Thurow
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Matthew Arndt. Lives in Mequon, in the district; grew up in Green Bay.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Matthew Arndt, Ballotpedia, Matthew Arndt (2026 survey answers)
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. Lives in Neenah, in the district.
Source: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon
Glenn Grothman. Lives in the Town of Greenbush and has represented the area in the Legislature or Congress since 1993. About 84 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Wisconsin.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Glenn Grothman, FEC contribution totals by state
Brad Smith. Lives in Mequon, in the district, and grew up in the Fox Valley. About 96 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Wisconsin.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Brad Smith, Ballotpedia, Bradley Smith (2025 survey answers), FEC contribution totals by state
Mike Thurow. Lives in Mequon, in the district. About 18 percent of itemized individual contributions this cycle came from Wisconsin.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch 2026 voter guide, Mike Thurow, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Brad Smith. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Thurow. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.635 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.473, below expectations, raised to 2 under E14: his Congressional Budget Office Data Access Act was enacted in October 2024 as S. 1549.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 7184 (118th Congress)
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Missed 121 of 6,404 roll call votes, 1.9 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Office site reports 1,079 constituents assisted with casework in 2025 and offers help with federal agencies.
Source: Office site, home page
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.45119 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 215 of 436.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Matthew Arndt. No public record found.
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon. No public record found.
Glenn Grothman. No public record found.
Brad Smith. No public record found.
Mike Thurow. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District?
Glenn Grothman has the strongest record in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District. Glenn Grothman scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Glenn Grothman's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Matthew Arndt (5 of 15 criteria), Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon (4 of 15 criteria), Brad Smith (7 of 15 criteria) and Mike Thurow (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District in 2026?
Matthew Arndt (Wisconsin Green), Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon (Independent), Glenn Grothman (Republican, incumbent), Brad Smith (Democratic), Mike Thurow (Independent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Matthew Arndt a good candidate for Congress?
Matthew Arndt has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon a good candidate for Congress?
Elizabeth Anne Fitzgibbon has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Glenn Grothman a good candidate for Congress?
Glenn Grothman scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Brad Smith a good candidate for Congress?
Brad Smith has public evidence on 7 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Mike Thurow a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Thurow has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Wisconsin race scored, and the Wisconsin 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.