Democrat Rebecca Cooke launches bid to unseat Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin battleground seat
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
March 11, 2025
Rebecca Cooke, who fell short against Derrick Van Orden by 2.8 points in 2024, says she will challenge the congressman in 2026.
Though she lost, Cooke outperformed Democrats Kamala Harris and Tammy Baldwin in the region.
A looming question now is whether other Democrats plan to jump into the race.
WASHINGTON – Rebecca Cooke is hoping the third time really is the charm.
The Eau Claire Democrat will launch another campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the state’s 3rd Congressional District after losing her previous bid by just under three points this past November. It will be her third consecutive run for the western Wisconsin House seat.
“I think there needs to be a check on this administration’s worst instincts, and Derrick Van Orden is somebody that is like a talking head for those folks,” Cooke told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week. “I think that we need to hold people accountable and really put their feet to the fire.”
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The move officially kicks off the 2026 race for Wisconsin’s tightest battleground district. Cooke, who fell to Van Orden by about 2.8 points last cycle but ran ahead of the top of her ticket in the process, is the only Democrat to announce a run so far. She first ran for the seat in 2022 but placed second in the Democratic primary that year.................
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Cooke outperformed Kamala Harris, Tammy Baldwin
Another factor motivating Cooke is her performance this past November.
She gained about 9,000 more raw votes in the district than former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the 3rd District to President Donald Trump by 7.4 points, and about 5,000 more votes than Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who lost the region to Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde by about 4 points, though won statewide.
Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/03/11/democrat-rebecca-cooke-launches-bid-to-unseat-derrick-van-orden/82225312007/
I know I will be out door to door for her!