Democrat Mitchell Berman defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil in Tuesday's Nov. 3 election, flipping Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District and ending more than 30 years of Republican representation.

Berman received 158,839 votes, or 52%, compared with 146,885 votes, or 48%, for Steil, according to the latest reported results. The Associated Press called the race at 11:48 p.m. Tuesday, and Steil conceded later that night, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

The results remain unofficial until certified in the coming weeks, WPR reported.

The district includes all of Kenosha and Racine counties, most of Walworth County and parts of Rock and Milwaukee counties. It was previously represented by former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan for 20 years before Steil won the seat in 2018.

The race had grown more competitive in the months leading up to Election Day. The Cook Political Report shifted its rating from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican," Wisconsin Watch reported. The University of Virginia's Sabato's Crystal Ball made the same move, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Fox News Power Rankings listed the district as a toss-up, according to the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.

The candidates

Steil, 45, is a Janesville native and attorney who spent about a decade in the manufacturing industry before running for office. He won reelection in 2020, 2022 and 2024, beating Democrat Peter Barca by more than 10 points in 2024. He chaired the U.S. House Committee on House Administration.

Berman, 40, is an emergency room nurse who lives in Raymond in Racine County. He grew up in Peshtigo and worked for 11 years at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Milwaukee and North Chicago before moving to an Ascension hospital. Federal employees are barred from running for partisan office, so he resigned from the VA, WPR reported.

Berman entered the race after receiving an email from Elon Musk asking him to justify his VA job as the Department of Government Efficiency began making cuts in spring 2025, Wisconsin Watch reported.

In a victory speech Tuesday night, Berman thanked voters and said he would work to address health care costs and corruption in Washington.

"If you had told me even just a few years ago that I'd be your next congressman, I would have never believed you," Berman said, according to WPR.

Steil told supporters at his election night event in Sturtevant that it was a difficult night.

"We gave it our all, but we came up short," Steil said. He also said it had been an honor to represent the district in Congress for the past eight years, WPR reported.

Where they differed

Both candidates named affordability as a top issue for voters, but they disagreed on how to address it.

Steil campaigned on cutting government spending and lowering taxes. He highlighted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, according to Wisconsin Watch. At an Oct. 20 debate, Steil said tax relief and expanding domestic energy production were priorities.

Berman said he would work to repeal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, raise the federal minimum wage, lower child care costs and bring down energy costs. He criticized Steil's support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, saying it cut roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid nationwide. Steil called that claim "fear-mongering," according to the Daily Cardinal.

On health care, Berman said as a nurse he had watched patients ration medication they could not afford. He called for restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies and creating a public option. Steil said he supported Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied childless adults.

On abortion, Steil said he was pro-life and supported overturning Roe v. Wade. Berman said politicians should not come between a woman and her doctor.

Money and national attention

Steil was one of Wisconsin's top congressional fundraisers. He raised $6.3 million during the cycle, compared with $1.3 million for Berman, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports cited by WPR. An Oct. 15 campaign finance report showed Steil with more than $4.2 million in cash on hand, compared with about $338,000 for Berman, Wisconsin Watch reported.

Outside groups also spent heavily on the race. The House Majority PAC planned a $2.7 million ad buy for the district, according to Wisconsin Watch. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Berman to its "Red to Blue" program in September. Republican-aligned groups, including the Trump-backed No Going Back PAC, spent more than $400,000 supporting Steil.

Lilly Goren, a political science professor at Carroll University, told WPR before the election that the seat could become more competitive in a favorable year for Democrats.

"But in a blue wave year, or potentially a blue wave year, with the district lines slightly reshaped, it could be a much closer race than in the past," Goren said.

Redistricting added Democratic-leaning areas around Beloit and Janesville while removing a portion of Republican-leaning Waukesha County, WPR reported.

Berman's victory makes him the first Democrat to represent the district in more than three decades.