Joey Marschall of Berlin joins field of Democrats running for 6th CD 

OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)— On August 11, 2026, Wisconsinites will head to the polls to cast their ballots in primaries across the state. One of the primaries that has already collected a wide field of candidates is the Democratic Primary for the 6th Congressional District. Joey Marschall, 42, who lives in rural Waushara County, between Poy Sippi and Berlin, is one of seven candidates vying to take on incumbent Glenn Grothman in November.

Politics is not something Marschall is very familiar with; however, over the past year or year and a half, he has been paying attention. He said he feels the normal, average working-class person is not being represented in the nation or in the 6th Congressional District. 

“I got to the point where I’m like so frustrated that nothing is being done for us,” Marshall said. “I’ve always been taught, from when I was younger, that if you want something done, you either do it or you deal with it and keep your mouth shut!”

Marschall said he began holding town hall-style meetings in April, when many Republican lawmakers stopped holding in-person town halls to avoid angry constituents.

“I wasn’t even declared as a candidate or anything. I was looking into running and planning on doing it, but I wanted to get out there and let our community know what was going on, like with all the DOGE cuts and all the different things that were happening so fast in our government that I could barely keep up. And I was paying attention!”

Platform   

Healthcare for all

Marschall is passionate about making sure that everyone in the 6th Congressional District and the nation has quality, affordable healthcare. 

“Everybody deserves healthcare. I see it as more of a right than a privilege. Everybody deserves to be healthy. When I was in junior high, my father was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He ended up having to have a bone marrow transplant. He was in UW-Madison for a long time with the chemo and everything else,” Marschall said. “Of course, those bills piled up. And even though my parents had insurance, they didn’t cover everything, obviously. So when the medical providers decided that they weren’t being paid enough, they took him to court. My dad literally told the judge that if he would’ve realized how much debt and how much this was gonna hurt his family, he would’ve rather died.”

Human Rights

Marschall is passionate about human rights. 

“Whether it’s the LGBTQIA+ community, which I’m part of, or immigrants, it doesn’t matter. Everybody deserves human rights…They’re just randomly picking people up and throwing them into foreign prisons. All of this is unacceptable,” Marschall explained.   

Marshall said that regardless of skin color, religion, or sexual orientation, everyone deserves fundamental human rights. 

Affordability

Food costs are rising. Utilities are going up, and Marschall says everyone is struggling economically. 

“Little bits by a little bit. It gets worse and worse. We need to try to figure out something that’s going to allow us to flourish as a country and a community,” Marschall said.

6th Congressional District needs

Taking a closer look at what the 6th Congressional District in Wisconsin needs, Marschall said, again, affordability is an issue affecting everyone in the district.

“Almost everybody I talk to has voiced their concerns about rising prices, and not even just prices being higher than what they were. But that they just continue to rise and not going down like they were told they were going to,” he said.

Hand in hand with affordability is the increase in tariffs enacted by the President Donald Trump Administration.

“The majority of the area is farming, right? And if not farming, it’s manufacturing,” Marschall emphasized. “Both of those are affected by tariffs.”

Background

Marschall is a life-long resident of the 6th Congressional District. Was born and raised in Fond du Lac. He bought a home in Waushara County about a year and a half ago with his fiancée. He works two jobs in the service and custodial industries. He calls himself a strong listener. 

“Just being able to go out and talk with people and see what’s hurting them or helping them. Trying to bring something to them from a different perspective is one of the most enriching parts of this whole campaign process. Even just being able to go out and talk in all the smaller communities and everywhere.

Even without a fancy degree, Marschall says he is qualified to be a U.S. Congressman.

“ I’ve always been the type of person where I try to do stuff for others before myself. Continuously trying to do things for this community is just something that I would assume any Congressperson would want. So. I see that as more of a qualification than having a bachelor’s or a master’s degree,” said Marschall. “The Constitution literally just states that you’re 25 years old and live in the area, so that if those are the qualifications, I’m very well qualified.”

Overview of 6th Congressional District Race

The 6th CD is made up of Columbia, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Manitowoc, Marquette, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, and Waushara Counties, and parts of Calumet, Dodge, and Winnebago Counties.

The list of Democratic contenders for the 6th Congressional District is long. In addition to Marschall, Aaron Wojciechowski, Brad Smith, John Macho, Amanda Bell, Michael Heidenreich, and Kortney Oldham, are also running. Kelly Brown filed papers to run, but has since dropped out of the race. The remaining candidates will face off in the Democratic primary on August 11, 2026.

On the Republican side, incumbent Grothman faces a challenge from Johnathan Peetz of Pardeeville.