Republican Rep. Bryan Steil has lost Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District to Democrat Mitchell Berman, flipping the southeast Wisconsin seat once held by former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Berman led by about 8,200 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted, and Steil would have needed to win the remaining votes by roughly 40 points to catch up. Earlier in the night, AP results had Berman ahead 51.2 percent to 48.8 percent with 83 percent reporting.
Steil has represented the district since 2019, when he succeeded Ryan. He built a reputation as a serious, hardworking member, chairing the House Administration Committee and leading on election integrity and digital assets on the Financial Services Committee. He was the kind of steady, low-drama Republican who usually survives bad years.
Not this year. Tuesday was a wave election across the country, and Wisconsin felt it from top to bottom. Decision Desk HQ called the governor’s race for David Crowley early, and Democrats flipped Derrick Van Orden’s 3rd District seat. Crowley’s statewide margin carried Democrats down the ballot in places like Rock County, which went Democratic Tuesday night.
Steil didn’t lose the 1st District. He got caught in a wave that started far from Janesville.
Southeast Wisconsin now trades a congressman who did the work for one more reliable vote for House Democratic leadership. Voters in Racine, Kenosha and Janesville will find out what that means soon enough.
Republicans will want this seat back in 2028, and Steil showed for eight years that a conservative can win it.
