Update: Mandela Barnes has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for governor (July 30, 2026) →
BadgerBrief

Federal · Primary August 11, 2026

Who is running for U.S. House of Representatives — Wisconsin District 1 in 2026?

5 candidates are running.

Why this race matters

Southeastern Wisconsin including Racine and Kenosha counties

What do the party and ideology labels mean?

On the ballot, partisan candidates run under a party — in Wisconsin almost always Democratic or Republican, with the occasional third-party or independent candidate. Words like progressive, conservative, libertarian, or democratic socialist are labels people use to describe themselves, not separate parties on the ballot. A label is a starting point; each candidate's sourced positions show where they actually stand.

How we do this →

Republican primary

Democratic primary

Ad money in this race

Who is paying to influence this race — supporting or attacking each candidate, and how much is a candidate's own committee vs. outside groups. Spend and reach are platform-disclosed ranges; figures are estimated midpoints. This shows pressure, not who wins.

Bryan Steil

$99

Supporting

$646k

Attacking

36k

Reach

$99 own committee · $646k outside (estimated)

Mitchell Berman

$74k

Supporting

$0

Attacking

4.8M

Reach

$74k own committee · $0 outside (estimated)

Peter Burgelis

$1k

Supporting

$0

Attacking

88k

Reach

$1k own committee · $0 outside (estimated)

Miguel Aranda

$748

Supporting

$0

Attacking

72k

Reach

$698 own committee · $50 outside (estimated)

Lorenzo J. Santos

$99

Supporting

$0

Attacking

7k

Reach

$50 own committee · $50 outside (estimated)

Who's paying. $722k in tracked ads — an estimated 89% from outside groups. Bryan Steil is the most-attacked candidate here.

Broadcast TV ads

$646k across 10 orders · reported on FCC orders

House Majority PACAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 63 spots · Oct 13–Oct 19

House Majority PACAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 63 spots · Oct 20–Oct 26

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WITI · Milwaukee · 34 spots · Apr 14–Apr 20

Campaign for America First International AssistancAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 18 spots · May 4–May 24

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 26 spots · Mar 24–Mar 30

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 29 spots · Feb 16–Feb 22

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 25 spots · Feb 9–Feb 15

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 25 spots · Feb 2–Feb 8

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 25 spots · Apr 14–Apr 20

Opportunity WisconsinAttack

WISN-TV · Milwaukee · 23 spots · Mar 31–Apr 6

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