Democrats Label Effort to Unseat Van Orden A ‘Red to Blue’ Priority
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee promises resources, support to challenger Rebecca Cooke.
Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat, is running for the open seat in the 3rd Congressional District. (Rebecca Cooke for Congress)
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Rebecca Cooke to its “red to blue” priority list of congressional races this fall, saying the organization will provide support to her campaign as she faces Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
Cooke was named to the list just days after winning the Democratic primary against state Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) and mortgage broker Eric Wilson. The 3rd District is one of the most narrowly divided districts along partisan lines in the country, offering Wisconsin Democrats their best chance at flipping a seat this fall. The DCCC designating the race a priority and promising support through the race is a shift from two years ago, when national support for Democratic state Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) dried up and Van Orden won. Democrats in the state blamed the loss of national support for Van Orden’s victory. The seat was previously held by Democrat Ron Kind for more than two decades.
Pfaff was vastly outraised by Van Orden while outside groups allied with Republicans also poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race. The DCCC didn’t invest any money into Pfaff’s campaign. Van Orden won the district by about four points.
“Western Wisconsinites can trust Rebecca Cooke to deliver for them because that’s what she’s done her whole life – from opening a small business in Eau Claire, to helping other women in her community become entrepreneurs, to working with Governor Evers to create jobs in Wisconsin,” DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash) said. “Voters are fed up with Derrick Van Orden’s extremism and public outbursts, and they’re more ready than ever for Rebecca’s dedicated, balanced leadership.”
Last year, the DCCC named the district, which voted for Trump in 2020 and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022 and covers much of western Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, among more than two dozen it saw as “in play” for 2024. Now, the priority designation means the campaign organization is “invested in providing Cooke, a top-tier candidate, with the support needed to continue building a winning campaign.”
On Thursday, Cooke traveled across the district, campaigning with her Democratic primary opponents while Republicans have begun attacking her over her history raising money for Democrats and grants disbursed by her non-profit.
National Democrats designate Cooke-Van Orden race a ‘red to blue’ priority was originally published by Wisconsin Examiner.
