Wisconsin — 3rd District

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) — If it seems like voters in western Wisconsin are already seeing a lot of Rebecca Cooke and Derrick Van Orden, there is a reason.

And there is likely much more to come.

Their rematch for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is one of a relatively small number of races that could help decide which party controls the U.S. House next year.

It is also already a multimillion-dollar campaign.

The Cook Political Report currently rates Wisconsin’s 3rd District a “Toss Up” and gives it an R+3 Cook Partisan Voting Index, meaning the district has performed about 3 percentage points more Republican than the nation in recent presidential elections. Cook’s current national ratings place just 19 House races in the Toss Up category.

The stakes are amplified by the narrow balance of power in Washington. The House currently has 218 Republicans, 212 Democrats, one independent, and four vacancies.

That makes competitive districts such as Wisconsin’s 3rd potential pieces of the fight over which party controls the House when the new Congress convenes in January.

RELATED: Cooke, Van Orden agree on pocketbook pressures, split over causes and solutions

A district accustomed to close elections

Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District includes Eau Claire, La Crosse, Stevens Point, and a large portion of rural western Wisconsin.

Van Orden won reelection in 2024 with 51.4% of the vote, defeating Cooke by less than 3 percentage points. The 2026 race is their second consecutive general-election matchup.

WEAU reported after Cooke won the Aug. 11 Democratic primary that the race is considered vulnerable and could play a role in determining control of the House.

National political attention is already evident.

Van Orden has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and FBI Director Kash Patel have made appearances in the district.

Cooke, meanwhile, received national Democratic support during the primary, including placement in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program.

More than $10.1 million already spent

The competitiveness of the race is also showing up in campaign finance reports.

Federal Election Commission filings covering activity through July 22 show Cooke and Van Orden’s authorized campaign committees had already spent a combined more than $10.1 million during the 2025-26 election cycle.

Cooke’s campaign reported $6.78 million in total disbursements and approximately $1.83 million in cash on hand.

Van Orden’s campaign reported $3.37 million in total disbursements and approximately $4.68 million in cash on hand.

Combined, the two campaigns had approximately $6.5 million still in their accounts as they moved toward the general election.

The $10.1 million figure represents total campaign spending, not just advertising. Campaign disbursements can include costs such as staff, consultants, fundraising, travel, office expenses, and advertising.

It also does not capture all of the money that could ultimately be spent trying to influence the race.

What that means for voters: A lot of advertising

Political parties, super PACs, and other outside organizations can independently spend additional money supporting or opposing candidates.

Those expenditures are not money given directly to Cooke or Van Orden, and they are tracked separately by the FEC. The commission also notes that some of its summarized independent-expenditure totals do not include the more rapidly filed 24- and 48-hour reports.

For voters in western Wisconsin, the practical effect is likely to be difficult to miss.

Campaign and outside-group spending can translate into political advertising on streaming services, Facebook, YouTube, websites, direct mail, radio, billboards, and television.

Those ads will not necessarily be paid for by Cooke or Van Orden themselves. Outside groups can pay for ads praising one candidate, attacking the other, or focusing on issues intended to influence how voters view the race.

With both campaigns already spending millions, another $6.5 million combined in their accounts as of July 22, and the district rated a Toss Up, western Wisconsin is positioned to remain a major political advertising battleground through Election Day.

WEAU reported following the primary that the 3rd District had already seen more spending than any other U.S. House race in Wisconsin.

RELATED: Money, Moratoriums and Messaging: Inside the Shifting Battle for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District

Who is Derrick Van Orden?

Van Orden is a Republican, a retired Navy SEAL, and the incumbent congressman representing Wisconsin’s 3rd District. He was elected to Congress in 2022 after longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind retired and is now seeking a third term. Van Orden had previously challenged Kind in 2020. Van Orden has been a strong supporter of Trump and has the president’s endorsement in the 2026 race. Trump administration officials have repeatedly appeared with Van Orden in western Wisconsin during the campaign.

RECENT WEAU COVERAGE: Congressman Derrick Van Orden visits local shooting range

Who is Rebecca Cooke?

Cooke is a Democrat who grew up on a dairy farm in the Chippewa Valley and has worked as a small-business owner and nonprofit founder. Cooke owned Red’s Mercantile in Eau Claire and founded the Red Letter Grant, a nonprofit created to support women entrepreneurs. She first sought the 3rd District seat in 2022 but did not win the Democratic primary. Cooke won her party’s nomination in 2024 and lost to Van Orden by less than 3 percentage points. She won the Democratic nomination again on Aug. 11, 2026, defeating former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge with 58% of the primary vote.

RECENT WEAU COVERAGE: Rebecca Cooke campaigns in western Wisconsin

Where to follow the candidates online

The campaigns are also communicating directly with voters online.

Derrick Van Orden, Republican

Campaign website: vanordenforcongress.com

Official congressional website: vanorden.house.gov

Facebook:Derrick Van Orden

Instagram:@derrickvanorden

Official Instagram: @repvanorden

X campaign account: @derrickvanorden

Official X account: @RepVanOrden

Rebecca Cooke, Democrat

Campaign website: cookeforwisconsin.com

Facebook:Cooke for Wisconsin

Instagram:@cookeforcongress

X:@RebeccaforWI

A race voters will hear a lot about

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Between now and then, voters in western Wisconsin can expect Cooke and Van Orden to continue making their case — while national parties and outside political organizations decide how much additional money to spend trying to influence the outcome.

And while millions of dollars will be spent communicating those messages, the candidates’ responses to WEAU suggest much of the argument will ultimately come back to issues much closer to home.

They generally agree about many of the bills families are struggling to pay.

They disagree over why those bills are so high and who can bring them down.

More WEAU Decision 2026 coverage