Democratic forum Tuesday night for Wisconsin’s 3rd District as Van Orden seat draws attention
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Tuesday night, voters in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District will get a closer look at two Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to challenge Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who currently holds the seat.
The Eau Claire Democratic Party is hosting a candidate forum between Rebecca Cooke and Emily Berge located at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Business Administration Center, 620. W. Clairemont Avenue from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The forum will be streamed live at that time on weau.com.
The forum is expected to focus on issues facing western Wisconsin, including Eau Claire and La Crosse.
Political analysts consistently rank Wisconsin among the nation’s most competitive swing states, where control of key offices is often decided by narrow margins. The 3rd District race is shaping up as one of the contests drawing early attention.
Van Orden is widely viewed as vulnerable, and Democrats are fielding multiple candidates.
Berge is the Eau Claire City Council President and a licensed professional counselor. She earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
Cooke is an Eau Claire business owner who was born and raised on an Eau Claire-area dairy farm. Her campaign has drawn attention from prominent Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
WEAU Political Analyst John Frank expects significant spending in the race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. As the primary approaches, the district is expected to draw growing national interest because of its potential to factor into control of Congress.
Tuesday night’s forum offers voters an early, side-by-side look at how Cooke and Berge are making their case to Democrats — and how they would approach a general-election matchup against Van Orden.
You can watch the forum live on weau.com HERE: Watch Live.