Rebecca Cooke launches her third challenge against Rep. Derrick Van Orden

On Tuesday, Democrat Rebecca Cooke launched her third bid for Wisconsin’s 3^rd Congressional District and effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI).

“Today, I’m announcing my campaign for US Congress,” Cooke wrote on X Tuesday morning. “Last November, we won the trust of voters across the party spectrum and nearly sent a farm kid to Washington. We need more working class voices like ours who will fight like hell to build back the middle class.”

Last November, Cooke came within 2.7 percentage points (11,256 votes) of unseating Van Orden, who has held the competitive district since 2023. Prior to Van Orden’s win in 2022, the 3^rd Congressional seat was held by Rep. Ron Kind (D) from 1997-2023.

According to her website, Cooke was born and raised on a dairy farm in Eau Claire. She is a former waitress and small business owner who was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers (D) to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation where she said she was able to advocate for the economic and social challenges of rural communities.

Van Orden has been one of the most controversial lawmakers in Washington during his relatively brief time in Congress, drawing criticism for reportedly screaming at a teenage group of Senate pages in a possibly alcohol-induced rage. Even though Van Orden was a participant in President Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021, Van Orden was upset with the high schoolers for “defiling the space.”

Van Orden has also been an avid supporter of the controversial start to Trump’s second term, endorsing U.S. military intervention in the Gaza Strip, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) unethical use of private data and approving a budget resolution that will slash social programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Van Orden has also canceled a town hall event in his district after protesters appeared to voice displeasure in his actions. The congressman proceeded to liken his constituents to Nazis during a subsequent radio interview.

“I think there needs to be a check on this administration’s worst instincts, and Derrick Van Orden is somebody that is like a talking head for those folks,” Cooke told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier this week. “I think that we need to hold people accountable and really put their feet to the fire.”