Democrats Outraise GOP Incumbents in Two Key Wisconsin House Districts
Reps Van Orden and Steil face stiff opposition from Cooke and Berman in 3rd and 1st districts.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rebecca Cooke. Angela Major/WPR and Hope Kirwan/WPR
Democrats running for Wisconsin’s 3rd and 1st U.S. House Districts have outraised Republican incumbents Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil, according to the latest federal campaign finance reports.
The reports spanning from July 23 through Sept. 30 continue to show the 3rd District rematch between U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, and Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke of Eau Claire is by far the most expensive federal race in Wisconsin. It’s Cooke’s third run for the seat. In 2024, Van Orden defeated her by less than 3 percentage points.
Cooke, a former Democratic fundraising consultant, reported raising around $3.4 million over the roughly nine-week period, while Van Orden raised around $1.3 million. Cooke spent about $4.3 million, while Van Orden spent about $3.8 million.
Of Cooke’s fundraising total, roughly $3 million came from individual donors. Around $730,000 of Van Orden’s haul came from individuals.
In a social media post, Van Orden claimed “coastal elites are trying to buy this seat” for Cooke, who he referred to as “The Crooked One.”In a statement, Cooke said she’s grateful for the support she’s received from “every corner of West Central Wisconsin.”
“This is a people-powered campaign, backed not by Corporate PACs but grassroots donors who want leaders who will lower costs, improve health care, and fight for an end to forever wars,” said Cooke.
With the 3rd District race considered a tossup and linchpin to efforts by Democrats to flip Republicans’ slim majority in the U.S. House, both candidates have received plenty of money from political action committees. For Cooke, around $225,000 of her most recent fundraising came from PACs, while Van Orden received around $207,000 in PAC money.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee emeritus political science professor Mordecai Lee told WPR the “campaign spending inflation” in current congressional races “boggles the mind.” But he said the fundraising figures in the 3rd Congressional District are evidence that both Van Orden and Cooke are “really players.”
“They’re both roughly politically even, and so what that means is that the constituents who live in that district are getting to see what a competitive race is, and they’re getting the message that their vote will count,” said Lee. “In other words, this isn’t a district that will automatically, even in a snowstorm, go Republican or go Democratic.”
Democrat Mitchell Berman outraises Republican Bryan Steil in 1st District, but Steil spending more
Wisconsin’s 1st District race hasn’t gotten the same attention as the rematch between Van Orden and Cooke, but Democrats have become more confident about ousting Steil, the Republican incumbent from Janesville, during a midterm with President Donald Trump’s approval ratings near historic lows.
Last month, House Democrats’ campaign committee added Berman to its “Red to Blue” program aimed at flipping GOP seats.
That’s resulted in a surge of new fundraising for first-time Democratic candidate Mitchell Berman, an ER Nurse from Raymond. From July 23 through Sept. 30, Berman raised around $897,000, while Steil brought in around $784,000.
Still, Steil dominated when it came to spending and cash on hand. The Republican reported spending close to $3 million during the reporting period and ending with about $4 million in the bank. Berman spent around $711,000 and ended September with around $338,000 in cash.
Lee said in a normal election cycle, the 1st District would likely be considered “solid Republican,” but the fact that Democrats are sending more money to Berman suggests there’s internal polling showing a shift. “Now, two years ago, some people thought that the 1st CD was going to be competitive,” said Lee. “It turned out not to be.”
Republican Michael Alfonso leads fundraising against Democrat Fred Clark in race for open 7th District seat
In the race for northern Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany as he runs for governor, 26-year-old Republican Michael Alfonso reported raising around $397,000, while former Democratic state lawmaker Fred Clark raised around $300,000.
Alfonso reported spending more than twice as much money as Clark during the period.
Alfonso has faced criticism for receiving multiple large donations from executives and lobbyists representing transportation industry companies regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Alfonso, who is the son-in-law of former 7th District congressman and current U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, reported receiving nearly $185,000 in donations from PACs between July 23 and Sept. 30, while Clark received a single $5,000 PAC contribution.
Democrats outraise GOP incumbents in Wisconsin’s 3rd and 1st US House Districts was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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