RACINE, WI – ER nurse Mitchell Berman outraised Republican incumbent Bryan Steil in the most recent reporting period, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission. From July 23 through September 30, Berman raised $895,412 in contributions to Steil’s $689,044.
The fundraising edge comes even as Steil’s dark money allies pour millions into the race to prop him up, and it’s a sign that Berman has real grassroots momentum. The latest public poll shows Berman leading Steil 48-47.
“Southeast Wisconsin is tired of politicians like Bryan Steil who get rich in office while working families pay more for everything,” said Mitchell Berman. “Steil stood with Trump on tariffs, health care cuts, and a war that’s driving up prices, while handing billions in tax breaks to data center developers and his billionaire donors who are funding his campaign. No amount of dark money can cover up that record. I’m proud to have a campaign powered by the people of Southeast Wisconsin – not a dime of corporate PAC money – and in Congress, they’re the only ones I’ll answer to.”
Steil has accepted nearly $300,000 from data center developers and big tech interests while voting to give them $70 billion in special tax breaks, even as he votes to make life more expensive for Wisconsinites, cutting health care, supporting the Iran War, and backing tariffs.
No matter how Steil’s dark money allies spend, they can’t keep him afloat. They have poured over $4 million into the race to prop him up and attack Berman, including over $490,000 from the Trump-backed No Going Back PAC. Yet public polls show Berman steadily gaining ground: Steil led 49-48 in an August 13 poll, a September 29 poll showed a 48-48 tie, and an October 3 poll put Berman ahead 48-47.
The Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Fox News have all recently shifted WI-01 from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.” With less than three weeks until Election Day, Berman has the momentum, and Steil’s donors can’t buy it back.
