The National Rifle Association directly challenged Democratic congressional candidate Mitchell Berman’s attempt to present himself as a rural Wisconsin outdoorsman.
On Oct. 13, Berman posted a video stating, “I grew up in rural Wisconsin, hunting and fishing. Wisconsin isn’t for sale.” The NRA responded the same day with “This you?” and attached a video. The reply undercut Berman’s effort to use hunting and fishing imagery to soften his profile in a district where firearms ownership and outdoor traditions remain common.
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Berman, a nurse challenging Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, has repeatedly leaned on that presentation. His September general election ad shows him on a riverbank with a fishing rod and a handgun holstered at his hip. He tells viewers he was raised in rural Wisconsin and wants to hunt and take his daughters to Packers games. His campaign website repeats the claim that he spent his childhood hunting and fishing.
That message collides with the positions he has taken in front of Democratic audiences. At an October 8 Walworth County Democrats event, Berman discussed gun violence while acknowledging that he enjoys hunting. The NRA’s response treats the outdoor branding as incompatible with the broader Democratic approach to firearms policy that Berman has aligned himself with.
Berman has not released a detailed public platform clarifying where he stands on specific gun rights issues. The NRA’s call-out leaves voters to decide whether his handgun and fishing scene and the childhood stories are consistent with the record he is building with party activists.
Steil, the incumbent, has received consistent support from the NRA based on his voting record. The contrast is now part of the general election conversation in a district that includes both urban and rural areas of southeastern Wisconsin. Early voting continues ahead of the November 3 election.
