Wisconsin — 3rd District

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - A rematch will take place in Western Wisconsin in the fight for the 3rd Congressional District. Congressman Derrick Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke will go head-to-head again.

Rebecca Cooke secured the democratic nomination on Tuesday night after beating Emily Berge in the primary election.

“I know that a lot of the things that I care about are the things that Berge voters care about,” Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat running for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, said. “It’s going to be about all of us coming together to make sure that we can restore pragmatic leadership to this seat in the House of Representatives.”

WEAU’s political analyst John Frank said Republicans could face an uphill battle during this election year. The president’s party usually loses seats in the U.S. House and Senate. Derrick Van Orden will have to fight against that trend.

“It makes all Republicans more vulnerable, just as if it were a Democrat president. It would make all Democrat Congressional leaders more vulnerable,” Frank said.

Derrick Van Orden said voters should look at his track record in Congress. He helped push the Big Beautiful Bill into law, passed the Farm Bill and supported the National Defense Authorization Act.

“I have a very strong record to run on,” Congressman Derrick Van Orden, a Republican running for re-election, said. “I hope that people can put aside the noise that they’re hearing from these left-wing groups that are trying to destroy America and just read my Congressional record.”

Rebecca Cooke, on the other hand, said Van Orden’s track record is the reason voters should support her in November.

“He failed to host any sort of in-person town hall to be accountable for his votes, and we demand accountability in this district,” Cooke said. “RFK Jr. can’t vote in this district. Donald Trump can’t vote in this district. I’m going to be talking to the people that can vote in this district and motivating them to get out to vote myself. I don’t need anybody else to come in and do that for me.”

In a slim margin, Cooke lost to Van Orden in 2024 by less than three percentage points. So, what could set her apart this time? Frank said she needs to focus on rural counties in the district.

“The third district is made up of 19 counties. The three most populous counties, Portage, Eau Claire, and La Crosse, make up 40% of the total population,” Frank said. “She’s done very well in those three counties, but she’s lost the other 16. So what she has to do is she has to make an effort to get out to those 16 counties.”

As for whether those rural voters will flip this time or continue to support Derrick Van Orden, we have less than 90 days to find out.

The third congressional district is considered to be one of the most competitive races in the country and could be vital in flipping the Republican majority in the U.S. House. Frank said with millions of dollars coming into the district, Western Wisconsin will be a busy place now until November.