Derrick Van Orden

WESTERN WISCONSIN, Wis. (WEAU) - The race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is considered one of the most competitive in the country.

In the months leading up to the election, Congressman Derrick Van Orden and Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke have been talking to voters, making their case for why they should be elected.

“It’s important for people, for folks, to feel like they have access to me,” Cooke said.

“How do you make sure people know you’re serious? You get out and see them,” Van Orden said.

On the campaign trail, Van Orden and Cooke made it clear they want to hear from voters. Since the August 11 primary election, Cooke’s campaign said she’s taken part in more than 70 events in all 19 counties in the third congressional district. She’s also attended 18 different meet-and-greets.

“It’s important for me to hear what’s really on people’s minds here locally in Eau Claire, but all over the third congressional district, and that I’m not just making assumptions about what people are looking for in their next representative, but I’m hearing from them directly,” Cooke said.

Van Orden’s team tells us he’s also been busy on the road, taking part in more than 120 events since the August 11 primary. That includes events in his capacity as the sitting Congressman and while campaigning for re-election.

“I talk to my constituents all the time,” Van Orden said. “So how the government is supposed to work is you go speak to the individual folks -- the voters, your constituents, then I understand the problem sets that need to be addressed. I take those back to Washington, D.C., and I write public policy based on the needs of my district.”

The two candidates have different approaches to the best ways to support Wisconsinites. While on a bike tour across the district, Van Orden said many voters shared concerns about the future, inflation and immigration.

“People want to go back to the past. They don’t want to go back to the Biden administration,” Van Orden said. “They don’t want to go back to 9 percent inflation. They don’t want to go back to 200,000 illegal aliens entering the country every month who are raping, robbing and murdering American citizens.”

But when Cooke is hearing from voters, she said they raise concerns about affordability and the ongoing war with Iran.

“A lot of people that voted for Trump and voted for Van Orden voted on what they thought was an America first agenda,” Cooke said. “Meanwhile, America has been last in what this administration and Derrick Van Orden have been doing. You see the war in Iran, in which we’re sending billions of dollars of taxpayer money abroad while people are struggling to be able to afford their healthcare here at home or go to the grocery store.”

Both Cooke and Van Orden said they will work to help those in Western Wisconsin. Now, it’s up to voters to decide who will support them the most in Congress.

“This is not what people voted for [they] are looking for somebody to come in and ready the ship,” Cooke said. “That’s what we’re ready to do.”

“If you look at Rebecca Cooke’s positions and non-positions and what I’ve actually accomplished, there really is -- there’s no other choice,” Van Orden said.

On October 20, Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke participated in their first and only forum hosted by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce. If you are interested in watching, the link to the full forum can be found HERE.

Copyright 2026 WEAU. All rights reserved.