Joshua Smith
Joshua Smith
Iowa Republican Senate nominee?
$49.9K
JUN 3, 2026
Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current rolePolitical activist
Political ideologyTrump-aligned Republican
BackgroundPolitical activist
Notable personal detailsJoshua D. Smith is an American Libertarian Party activist and political candidate who filed with the FEC as a Libertarian candidate for President in the 2024 election cycle. He served as Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee after being elected at the party’s 2022 national convention, and previously served as an LNC at-large member. He was a candidate for the Libertarian Party’s 2024 presidential nomination but was not selected as the party nominee.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
The candidate emphasizes cutting costs for Iowans, reducing taxpayer funding for foreign wars, and stopping what he describes as wasting taxpayers’ money. His campaign frames policies around liberty, prosperity, and lowering burdens on working-class Americans.
Healthcare
The candidate has made limited, issue-specific healthcare remarks focused on lowering costs and improving veterans’ mental-health services rather than laying out a comprehensive healthcare plan. Public materials and coverage emphasize cost concerns and support for expanded veteran mental-health resources but do not state a clear position on ACA, Medicare-for-All, a public option, or broad health‑policy reforms. Overall, the available statements are specific and narrow rather than a comprehensive ideological stance on healthcare.
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Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate opposes broad abortion access and treats fetal life as having personhood, arguing for strict legal limits on abortion with very limited exceptions (e.g., when the mother’s life is at risk).
Public Safety & Guns
The candidate supports abolishing federal gun regulations and intends to author legislation to end federal gun laws; his public statements call for eliminating firearms regulations and emphasize broad Second Amendment rights. He frames expanded gun rights as a core part of his platform and opposes new federal gun restrictions.
News
Joshua Smith is being mentioned in coverage about the 2026 midterms, where Democrats are expected to lean heavily on child care and other caregiving costs as a campaign issue. A major advocacy group plans a $50 million effort to support Democrats, especially in Senate races such as Michigan, by highlighting rising family care expenses. More broadly, Democrats have recently gained momentum in several state elections, which could shape the political environment around candidates like Smith.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising