Wisconsin election: Steil, Berman tight 1st District race

So let's talk about what is happening now with Christina Van Zelst. You are in Elkhorn, and that's one of the areas that also Jason was looking at that could really determine this race. Yeah, we are at Uncle Hunk's in Elkhorn. This is where Mitchell Berman's watch party is currently happening. He is not in the room with us yet. We are expecting him to show up when the polls have closed, of course, but also when this race is potentially called. So we've heard a lot of cheering from the crowd here. Again, this is for the Democratic candidate Mitchell Berman, the watch party here in Elkhorn. And... Talk about a nail-biter, Ben. You were mentioning races we're following that are close. This one is also extremely tight right now. Too close to call, of course, too early in the night. But we want to bring in a voter and a person who has been here since this started. Mike, you live in East Troy, and you obviously are with the East Troy Democrats. What are you feeling right now? Of course, this is pretty close right now. Well, we're very excited because it's been a long road. We've been working on this for seven years, campaigning to turn Walworth County blue, or at least purple. How are you feeling watching the numbers come in? Um... Encouraged. We know everything around this area would be very close. If you could describe the mood of the room and how it's been so far tonight, what would you say? I'd say ecstatic. All right. Well, Mike, thank you so much. Of course, we will see what happens here. I also wanted to mention I did talk with the press secretary, Katie Smith, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, mentioning some of the area, the counties that they are going to be watching for in terms of Berman and a potential victory. Those counties are Kenosha County. Rock and Milwaukee counties. So they're waiting to see the official turnout and what those results are looking like. But those are the three counties within this congressional district that they're keeping an eye on. So very tight race here. Definitely a nail biter. But of course, Berman is trying to flip this seat. It would be the first time in over three decades that that would go to a Democrat. So we will send it back to you guys. Again, Christina Van Zelst here in Elkhorn for now. And we do know a lot of money was put in that race. We saw ads on our air of those two candidates. So we'll see how much money played a role in this. Yes, so much money. Let's go to Ashley Sears with the competitor, the incumbent, out in Sturdivant with the style campaign. If we were taking bets, what is going to be the closest race tonight? You and Christina might be out in front here. These numbers are so close, Ash. Yeah, it's a nail-biter. We're at the Route 20 Bar and Grill in Sturdivant. This is in Racine County, and supporters have filled this place for Brian Stille. They'll have a front row seat tonight to one of the most competitive districts in the state and perhaps the country. Congressman Stille has held this seat since 2018. He's won handily in the last four elections. Stille succeeded Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. A Republican has held this congressional seat for the last 30 years. Democrats have been trying to flip it, and as more eyes have been on this race, the more competitive it has gotten. Analysts say this has gone from likely Republican to leaning Republican, some even calling this race a toss-up. Supporters here say they're feeling positive. He cares about people. I've actually been lucky enough to spend a lot of time, especially this last campaign season, with him. And he seems to care more than a lot of the politicians that are out there. He wants to be sitting at your table, if he could, at your house, hearing what you have to say, trying to figure out what's good for you and your family, and I think that's really important in today's culture. Obviously, everyone's concerned because there's so much at stake. We have a known commodity. He's a patriot. He's an incredible asset to us. And for basically an unknown, it's very alarming to me, yes, but I'm very confident. I mean, I think Congressman Styles is going to be tremendous. A lot of money has been poured into this race. Styles has raised nearly $6.4 million. That is three times his opponent. I guess we'll see tonight if that pays off. Bennington? I like your view. You've got the bird's-eye view of that party, and you might need it because things have been changing by the minute at that race. All right, Ashley Sears live and steering it for us. Thanks, Ash.