Nurse Mitchell Berman Takes on Incumbent Bryan Steil in Wisconsin’s Swing House District

Democratic strategists are fielding Mitchell Berman, a 20-year emergency-room nurse, as a working-class challenger to Republican incumbent Bryan Steil, a corporate attorney who succeeded former Speaker Paul Ryan in 2019. The district, which polls show leans Republican, is being targeted as a vulnerable seat in the 2026 midterm election. Berman argues that Steil’s policies have left constituents “out of touch” with rising costs and that his own frontline health-care experience equips him to address everyday concerns.

The Guardian

Wisconsin’s manufacturing base has contracted sharply, falling from 560,000 jobs in 2001 to 460,000 in 2025, according to the article. From January 2025 to January 2026 the state lost 9,500 manufacturing positions, and tariffs accounted for 3,910 of those losses. A July 2026 report by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois Project for Middle Class Renewal estimates that tariffs add roughly $1,095 to each household’s annual expenses.

The Guardian

He criticizes Steil for defending the current tariff regime, asserting that voters feel “betrayed” because promised cost reductions have not materialized. Steil’s office declined to comment on the campaign’s accusations despite multiple requests for a response.

The Guardian

• “Being a nurse working in the emergency room, we don’t have the luxury of standing around and not delivering for our patients. We have to make sure that we are addressing concerns in the immediate, making sure that when our patients come in, they leave the emergency department in better condition than they arrive,” — Mitchell Berman

The Guardian

• “Coming from a working-class background, understanding what folks are going through [and] having walked a mile in my neighbor’s shoes gives me the ability to look at legislation from the perspective of having some empathy and understanding for what people are dealing with,” — Mitchell Berman

The Guardian

• “Just seeing the benefits packages, seeing the work-life balance that was afforded to us because of that union was just incredible,” — Mitchell Berman

The Guardian

• “Right now people in the district feel betrayed by Bryan Steil because he had made promises to bring costs down, but things have only gotten worse here for people, and I think that’s because of policy positions he’s championed, allowed and abdicated to Donald Trump,” — Mitchell Berman

The Guardian

Both campaigns are intensifying outreach as the November ballot approaches. Democrats hope Berman’s health-care background will resonate with voters fatigued by economic pressures, while Steil’s team relies on his legislative record and ties to the district’s former Republican leadership. The race is poised to serve as a bellwether for how working-class messaging and tariff debates will shape the broader midterm landscape.

The Guardian