Bryan Steil enters yet another turbulent mid-term election, as the Democrat candidate pool shrinks down to three less than a month from the primaries.
Steil, a Janesville native represents Wisconsin 1st Congressional district. First elected as the successor of Speaker Paul Ryan, he has worked his way into multiple committees and a strong ally of President Trump. Steil currently chairs the House Administration committee and serves on the Financial Services Committee.
The Democratic candidates have reduced their primary pool by one, with the withdrawal of Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis. Burgelis, upon suspending his campaign, endorsed Michell Berman. Berman has raised the most amount of money across the field, collecting more than $650,000. Berman, a Racine county nurse and former VA health care worker, has emerged as the front runner. (RELATED: Eric Toney Demands Investigation Into Rodriguez Campaign Finances)
Berman still has to face Miguel Aranda and Lorenzo Santos in the primary. Aranda, is a school board member at Whitewater Unified, and Santos is a former Racine emergency-management official.
During Steil’s time in Congress, he has helped introduce and pass important legislation. Steil co-led the Accelerating Home Building Act, a bill that helps reduce the cost of homeownership. The act created a grant program that allowed cities and towns to use pre-approved standardized building plans. These plans help expedite and lower design costs while streamlining zoning approval so that houses can go up quicker and cheaper.
As chairman of the House Administration Committee, Steil oversees federal election regulation and other legislative branch agencies. Under his leadership, the House passed the SAVE America Act in February. A bill that requires voters to present photo ID and requires documentation for proof of citizenship.
One of Steil’s most popular bills he introduced is the Stop Insider Trading Act. This would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual publicly traded stock. It would also require advance public notice before covered individuals sell stocks. The Act also implements financial penalties for violations. (RELATED:David Crowley Reenters Wisconsin Governor’s Race After Rodriguez Withdrawal)
Steil, amongst the other Wisconsin representatives, have coalesced behind a formal request that the EPA holds Canada responsible for their wildfire pollution. Supporters of the request include Dereck Van Orden and Tom Tiffany. Tiffany is currently running for governor, and Van Orden has drawn national attention during the running versus Rebecca Cooke.
