National Democrats Boost Berman In Bid To Unseat Rep. Bryan Steil

Mitchell Berman. Photo courtesy of the Berman campaign

National Democrats are sending Wisconsin emergency room nurse Mitchell Berman additional resources as he attempts to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil of Janesville.

While Steil has easily defeated his last two challengers, Democrats see his support for President Donald Trump as a major vulnerability in November.

A Tuesday statement from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Berman’s campaign has been included in its “Red to Blue” program aimed at boosting candidates facing Republican incumbents seen as vulnerable. For Berman, it means additional fundraising and organizational support.

The statement said momentum is on Berman’s side and notes liberal Supreme Court Justice Chris Taylor carried the 1st District by 15 percentage points in April.

“Mitchell will fight for good health care, lower costs, and an economy that works for regular people – and after years of Steil putting the billionaires first, Wisconsin is ready for change,” said DCCC Chair U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington in a statement.

Berman, who is from Raymond, responded to the DCCC news with a social media post declaring “we are going to flip this seat and send a working class nurse to Congress to represent Wisconsin’s First District.” It included his latest campaign commercial, showing him fishing while wearing a holstered pistol on his hip as he accuses Steil of getting “millions from special interests.”

In an interview with WPR, Berman said being included on the list is “incredibly exciting.” He claimed Steil has become disconnected from the challenges facing everyday Wisconsinites and “hitched his wagon to Donald Trump” by not opposing the presidents’ tariffs or the war with Iran, which is driving up fuel prices.

“Bryan Steil’s responsibility is to the people here in Wisconsin’s 1st District,” said Berman. “The fact that he chooses to vote 100 percent of the time with Donald Trump, well, that’s on him, and that’s him turning his back on the rest of us here in the district.”In a statement sent to WPR, a spokesperson for Steil’s campaign called Berman a “radical activist.”

“While many families are struggling with high costs, radical activist Mitchell Berman has proclaimed his opposition to cutting taxes, particularly on Social Security and No Tax on Tips,” the statement said. “Congressman Steil remains focused on the issues that matter most to voters – making life more affordable, reducing the cost of housing, and banning members of Congress from trading stocks.”

Steil’s “Stop Insider Trading Act,” which would block members of Congress from trading stocks, passed the House in July after being amended to require voters show photo identification before voting. It’s the first insider trading bill to ever pass the House and is now awaiting action in the Senate.

Berman claimed Steil’s bill has “more holes in it than Swiss cheese” because it doesn’t require House members to divest stocks they already own and doesn’t apply to the president or other members of the executive branch.

Democrats may be bullish, but they haven’t been able to beat Steil yet

Steil has proven a formidable incumbent and fundraiser since his election in 2018. During his last race in 2024, Steil faced Peter Barca, a former Democratic congressman and Wisconsin Assembly minority leader, who was also part of the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program. Even with the national help, Steil raised more than twice as much money and went on to defeat Barca by 10 percentage points.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor Anthony Chergosky said he’s not ready to declare the 1st District “a true toss-up race” like the DCCC appears to imply. Still, he said national generic ballot polling, which is used to indicate the parties’ political momentum, is leaning in Democrats’ favor.

“So, I do think that the national environment is core to why Democrats are making this move,” said Chergosky. “The seat is not a toss-up. It’s the kind of district that flips only if the national wave is big, and if Bryan Steil’s’ personal brand is unable to insulate him from being caught up in a blue wave.”

Chergosky notes that Steil has run ahead of Trump in the district before.

“There are people who split their ticket by voting for Democrats in other races, but they then vote for Steil in the race for Congress,” said Chergosky. “If the national environment truly is an eight-point advantage for the Democrats, then it very much would put this district in play.”

While Berman touts his support at the ground level, he and his new national Democratic backers have a lot of ground to cover. Steil has raised around $5.4 million for his reelection campaign since 2024. Berman, who entered the race in August 2025, has reported raising around $713,000 so far.

National Democrats add Steil challenger Berman to ‘Red to Blue’ initiative was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.