(The Center Square) – Democrat Rebecca Cooke announce Tuesday she intends to run against U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Third Congressional, in 2026.
Van Orden defeated Cooke with 51.4% of the vote in the western Wisconsin district by a nearly 11,200 vote margin. The district includes La Crosse and Eau Claire.
“Last November, we won the trust of voters across the party spectrum and nearly sent a farm kid to Washington,” Cooke said while announcing she would run. “We need more working class voices like ours who will fight like hell to build back the middle class.”
Van Orden was a Navy SEAL and senior chief petty officer during his 26 years of service and recently received the 2025 Congressional award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars for his advocacy for veterans.
“Two-time loser Rebecca Cooke is making a third attempt at running for Congress after losing to Derrick Van Orden. 2026 will be no different — Western Wisconsin voters will reject two-faced Cooke’s radical far-left views,” Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement.
The National Republican Congressional Committee noted several stories about Cooke showing that she did political work before she ran for Congress, saying she claims to be a political outsider but is not.
“Certified loser Rebecca Cooke was already rejected by Wisconsinites twice and will lose again in 2026,” NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon. “Voters are well aware that she is nothing more than a sleazy political activist who remains out-of-touch with Western Wisconsin.”
