MADISON – Democrat Rebecca Cooke and Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden will square off in a rematch on Nov. 3, after Cooke carried the contested primary in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
Cooke defeated Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge, locking in her second race against Republican Van Orden.
Cooke, a nonprofit owner and waitress, is running in the district for the third time. In 2024, she lost to Van Orden in the general election. In 2022, she lost in the Democratic primary.
In 2024, Cooke lost by a narrow margin, coming within less than 3% of Van Orden. She also outperformed then-Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
That overperformance is among the reasons Cooke was endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in February this year, allowing her to access campaign resources and staffing in the lead up to the primary.
Berge entered the race last year after being told by national Democratic organizations that they did not want a primary in the 3rd District, and that support would be given to Cooke. Some voters in the district felt the early endorsement of Cooke took away their voice in the primary, instead of providing Cooke a stronger change at defeating Van Orden.
In a statement, Van Orden said that it wasn’t surprising the candidate “anointed” by national Democrats won the election.
“This election is about what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren. It is a battle for the soul of America,” he said. “Rebecca will carry water for the national Democrats. I’ll keep fighting for Wisconsin.”
The 3rd Congressional District covers a large portion of the state’s Driftless region in the southwestern and western portions of the state. It includes Stevens Point, La Crosse and Eau Claire, as well as some of the Wisconsin areas close to Minnesota’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rebecca Cooke, Derrick Van Orden set for rematch in key Wisconsin seat
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
