Photo: Peter Burgelis
On Sunday, Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis announced he was entering the Democratic primary to challenge Representative Bryan Steil (R-Janesville) in November. Burgelis currently represents residents in Milwaukee’s 11th District, and before that was a County Supervisor on the Milwaukee County Board.
The major issue surrounding his candidacy is one of residency. Burgelis currently resides in Milwaukee’s Jackson Park Neighborhood – outside the current boundaries of the congressional district. When asked about residency concerns, Burgelis stated, “of course” he’d move into the Congressional District if he defeated the Congressman in November. This isn’t curbing the issue, however, as coverage in the media and from the Republican Party has specifically highlighted the matter since the announcement.
Burgelis’ entry comes at a time when several other Democrats launched campaigns in this primary. Previous to this, the top contenders in the primary were Mitchell Berman from Raymond and Randy Bryce from Racine. While Bryce had the most name recognition before Sunday’s news, sources say he has struggled to bring the energy like his past challenge to Steil in 2018. This has given Berman an opporunity to raise the most funds and lock in the UAW endorsement.
The primary now will become a must watch to see who pulls it off and moves onward to a November election that Democrats hope to capitalize on and flip many seats, including Steil’s.