Peter Burgelis enters a crowded, but lackluster primary field that has failed to bring in significant money to counter incumbent Rep. Bryan Steil’s significant war chest.
As first reported by WisPolitics and Fox 6’s Jason Calvi, Milwaukee Alderman and former Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Peter Burgelis has officially launched a campaign for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Republican Bryan Steil. Burgelis does not currently reside in the district.
Burgelis enters a Democratic primary field that has so far failed to generate much enthusiasm, joining candidates including nurse Mitchell Berman, Whitewater school board member Miguel Aranda, and former candidate/criminal/deadbeat dad Randy Bryce.
On paper, Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District remains one of the most competitive seats in the country—and a critical hold for Republicans hoping to maintain their slim House majority. In practice, however, the early dynamics of the race have been decidedly one-sided. Prior to Burgelis’s entry, Steil outraised the entire Democratic field 4-to-1 in the most recent reporting period, bringing in $1.3 million in the first quarter and reporting more than $5.5 million cash on hand.
Steil’s campaign was quick to go on offense following the announcement, targeting both Burgelis’s record and his lack of residency in the district.
“Milwaukee politician Peter Burgelis, who voted to nearly double the sales tax on working families, has no business running in a seat he doesn’t live in,” the campaign said in a statement. “While Burgelis pushes a platform that would raise costs, Congressman Bryan Steil remains focused on lowering costs for working families, making our communities safer, and supporting Wisconsin seniors.”
Despite the Cook Partisan Voting Index rating the district as R+2, Steil has consistently outperformed the fundamentals. In 2024, he defeated former congressman and then–Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca by more than 10 percentage points—his largest margin under the current maps—even against a higher-profile opponent.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon also commented on Burgelis’s entry into the race.
“Democrat Peter Burgelis doesn’t live in the district, allegedly berates female staff, and has a rich history of increasing taxes. Congressman Bryan Steil continues to deliver common sense wins and will once again cruise to reelection.”
Political observers say Burgelis’s late entry underscores both Democratic optimism about the broader midterm environment and clear dissatisfaction with the current field. While unseating Steil would be a heavy lift under any circumstances, the move suggests national Democrats were not convinced the existing candidates could capitalize on a likely favorable political climate.
While lacking any real ties to the 1st Congressional District, Burgelis does at least have some name ID and an existing donor base–especially through some of his connections to national LGBTQ organizations. Burgelis, who is gay, attended Joe Biden’s 2023 Pride Month Celebration at the White House, where he was pictured with Richard (Rachel) Levine–the transgender Assistant Health Secretary under the Biden Administration.
During his time in Milwaukee government, Burgelis supported a sales tax increase on city residents—an issue likely to draw scrutiny as affordability remains the top issue this November. On the Common Council, one of his top priorities has been a push to replace Milwaukee’s long-standing flag with the so-called “People’s Flag,” an initiative launched shortly after he took office in 2024 that has yet to gain final approval.
More recently, Burgelis voted in favor of a symbolic resolution condemning federal immigration enforcement actions, including the arrest of Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, who has been accused of funding terrorist organizations and making false statements on immigration documents.
He also backed an “ICE Out” resolution introduced by Democratic Socialist Alex Brower, which called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and urged the agency to cease operations in Milwaukee—an approach critics argue would effectively make the city a sanctuary jurisdiction, which Brower agreed was the intended goal.
While serving on the Milwaukee County Board, he faced allegations of being “verbally abusive” toward female staff members and was reportedly reprimanded by aides to County Executive David Crowley. Burgelis has endorsed Mandela Barnes over Crowley in the Democrat gubernatorial primary.
