Mitchell Berman
ER Nurse
Democrat
Raymond
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters send you to congress?
I am an ER nurse from rural Wisconsin who worked my way through school and became the first in my family to graduate from college, and I've been a union member at every organized facility I've worked. I spent over a decade at the VA and saw firsthand how gaps in our healthcare system impact veterans and working families. I'm running because it's going to take someone from the bedside and the working class to step up and make an impact, someone who can legislate from a place of empathy and firsthand experience. That's what I'll bring to Washington. Congress isn't reflective of the people in our district — I believe we can change that and make Congress work for the people again.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Healthcare affordability. As a nurse, I see every day how patients struggle to get the medications and care they need, not because hospitals can't provide them, but because of insurance company practices and government policies that stand in the way. Bryan Steil just voted to strip 15,000 of his own constituents of their health insurance through Medicaid cuts and the expiration of ACA subsidies, which had previously saved families an average of $700 a year. In Congress, I'll fight to protect coverage and lower costs, legislating from a place of empathy and firsthand experience.
What expertise would you bring into congress? How would it help your district?
I've spent over twenty years working in healthcare, including over a decade at the VA, where I cared for veterans in high-pressure conditions and saw firsthand how gaps in our healthcare system impact people's lives. I was raised by working-class parents and was the first in my family to graduate from college, working multiple jobs to pay my way through school. These experiences have given me a unique perspective on the challenges facing our communities and will allow me to legislate from a place of empathy, firsthand experience, and commitment to policies that actually serve people.
Should Congress exert more oversight over the president? Why or why not?
Absolutely. As a nurse at the VA, I saw the wounds, both visible and invisible, that our young men and women brought back from Afghanistan and Iraq. Congress has a responsibility to hold the White House accountable. The War Powers Act exists to ensure a president cannot commit our troops to an open-ended engagement without Congressional oversight, and yet Bryan Steil has repeatedly voted against resolutions to serve as a check on the President. In Congress, I'll fight to reassert those powers, ensure accountability, and end corruption in Washington.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
Bong Recreation Area in Kenosha County, right here in our district, is a great spot for hunting, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors. But most people don't know it was named after Richard Bong, a decorated World War II aviator from Wisconsin who shot down more enemy aircraft than any American pilot in history.