MILWAUKEE, Wis. – ER nurse and Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District Mitchell Berman appeared on WISN 12’s statewide political show UPFRONT with Matt Smith and Gerron Jordan over the weekend, ahead of today’s ballot filing deadline in Wisconsin.
Berman spoke about his working class background and experience in healthcare and drew a clear contrast with Bryan Steil — an out-of-touch career politician who has voted to cut Medicaid for his constituents and driven up costs for working families. Berman also highlighted his campaign’s growing momentum with over $500,000 raised to date from over 10,000 donors.
Berman said in the interview: “Congress – it’s not reflective of the people who are here in my district. We are in a system right now that is broken, and people recognize that, and that system was created by politicians. So, I think the only way that we’re going to fix it is to bring someone in from the outside… we need more nurses, more teachers, more people who have actually experienced some of the things that people at home are dealing with, that can legislate from a place of empathy and understanding.”
The interview aired Sunday, May 31, and can be found on WISN (https://www.wisn.com/article/upfront-dem-candidate-runs-to-unseat-bryan-steil/71450033) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzIlbJjR_Ds).
Born and raised in a one-stoplight town in rural Wisconsin, Mitchell Berman learned the values of community, integrity, and hard work from his parents. He was the first in his family to graduate college, working three jobs and taking out student loans to earn his degree. Determined to build a life through grit and perseverance, not privilege, he started working at age 12 and became a union member while in college. Berman is an emergency room nurse who has served veterans at the VA for more than a decade. A devoted husband and father, he’s running for Congress to put people over politics, and to fight for Wisconsin families.
The First Congressional District is one of the most competitive in the country, and has been named a “District in Play” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The district encompasses Janesville, Kenosha, Racine, Beloit, Elkhorn, Whitewater, and the Milwaukee suburbs of Cudahy, St. Francis, and South Milwaukee. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the swing district narrowly with just 51 percent of the vote. In both the 2023 and 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, Justices Janet Protasiewicz and Susan Crawford won the district handily by 6- and 6.5-point margins, respectively, and Justice-Elect Chris Taylor carried the district by ~20 points in April 2026. The primary election will take place on August 11, 2026, with the general election on November 3rd. Learn more at BermanForCongress.com.
