OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)— The midterm elections are coming in 2026, and several races are already garnering quite a bit of attention. One of those is the 6th Congressional District in Wisconsin. Seven people are vying for the Democratic nomination. One of them is John Macho, 61, of Oshkosh.

“I saw the lack of leadership in the country. We were being bombarded with all this divisive news daily, and the elimination of norms that we had been ruled by forever,” Macho said in describing his reason for running for Congress. “They started dehumanizing the people that were different from themselves. Or they stayed silent. And it’s just wrong.”

Platform

A Stable Economy

Macho said he wants to stabilize prices for the average person.

“ Part of that is ending these tariffs. I’m hoping that they’re gonna end way before this election, but if they’re still there, I want to make sure that they go away,” Macho explained.

Secure the Border but Help Immigrants

Macho said securing the border is another key platform of his. While securing the border, he said, it is essential to give immigrants a clear path to legal residence and citizenship.

“There are so many hardworking people in our community that are having to hide because they don’t have their paperwork,” said Macho. “They have never caused anybody grief. They have families. It’s time for them to come out of the shadows. And we need to create that opportunity.

Global Warming

Climate change and global warming are top of mind for Macho. He sees it not only as an environmental concern but also as a factor in immigration.

“Weather events such as the floods down in Milwaukee. The hurricanes are becoming stronger. People are immigrating from equatorial regions because it’s not habitable anymore,” Macho said. “We’re gonna have more and more immigrants come just because they can’t live in their countries anymore.”

Prison Reform

Macho said he worked in the prison system for 20 years. He said education and training are the keys to avoiding recidivism.

“We need to reform the prison so that when they get out–and most of them are gonna get out–that they have job opportunities. There are so many jobs in the skills trades that we can go and train them for,” he said. “We should deal with their mental health needs, their medical needs, anything so they don’t wind up going back and costing us $38,000 a year on average, to keep on coming back.”

Social Security

Macho is the oldest candidate in the Democratic field, and as such, has Social Security as one of his key platforms.

“ We need to have social security after 2032,” Macho said. “And I need to be a part of that to make sure it gets there so that we don’t go down to 70% seven years from now.”

6th Congressional District needs

While much of Macho’s platform deals with broader national and global issues, he says the 6th Congressional District needs three things specifically: affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and civility.

“ We need to start talking to each other and stop dehumanizing each other because we have an R or a D (Republican or Democrat) in front. We need to be a purple country where it doesn’t matter whether R or D is in front of you anymore. It’s whether we can talk about issues and not personality,”

Background

Macho, a former Army officer, is a father to two college-aged sons. He is also a lay minister in the Lutheran church and considers his run for Congress a higher calling.

“Now it’s time to go ahead and give back to the community by saying, ‘Yes!’” he said. “By being able to give of myself and do what’s right.”

Macho has a history as a Peace Corps volunteer and would like to see more support for developing countries.

“ It’s time to go ahead and use that Christian background that a lot of us have to love your neighbor,” said Macho. “And that happens to be my motto for my campaign. ‘Love your neighbor!’”

Overview of 6th Congressional District Race

The list of Democratic contenders for the 6th Congressional District is long. In addition to Macho, Aaron Wojciechowski, Brad Smith, Amanda Bell, Michael Heidenreich, Joey Marschall, and Kortney Oldham, are also running. Kelly Bell 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.

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.

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