Bradley A. Smith
Former Federal Election Commission chairman who founded and chairs the Institute for Free Speech.
Bradley A. Smith founded the Institute for Free Speech, the main voice against tighter Super PAC rules. Its answer on TEXAS PAC, whose 15 October 2026 report named one donor committee, is that the public filings already show the trail.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
Timeline for Bradley A. Smith
Founded the Institute for Free Speech
US Midterms 2026: Mentioned in: Texas PAC's only donor got Musk's sumsBackground
Bradley A. Smith's institute supplies the counter-argument in the 2026 dispute over money moving between super PACs. TEXAS PAC's 15 October report names the Senate Leadership Fund as its sole donor. The institute's answer is that both committees' reports are public and dated, so the trail exists for anyone who reads two filings.
Smith served on the Federal Election Commission from 2000 to 2005 and chaired it in 2004. He founded the Center for Competitive Politics in 2005; it was renamed the Institute for Free Speech in 2017, and he chairs it. He teaches at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.
His view matters because it is the main argument against tighter rules on transfers between committees. He has held since his years at the Commission that contribution limits and compelled disclosure burden political speech.
Who is Bradley A. Smith?
What is the Institute for Free Speech's view of super PAC disclosure?
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.