Rebecca Cooke wins Democratic primary in Wisconsin's 3rd District, will face Van Orden

Rebecca Cooke won the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, defeating Emily Berge in the August 11 election. According to the Associated Press, which called the race at 9:21 p.m., Cooke had more than 31,000 votes to Berge's just over 24,000 at the time of the call. Cooke, a nonprofit founder and waitress who describes herself as a Blue Dog Democrat, is making her third run for the seat after unsuccessful campaigns in 2022 and 2024. She entered the primary with a large fundraising advantage and an unusual coalition of backers, drawing support from both the centrist Blue Dog Democrats and Senator Bernie Sanders. The victory sets up what reports describe as a competitive general election against Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden in November. Democrats see the western Wisconsin district as central to their effort to win control of the U.S. House, making the race one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 cycle.

Cooke wins the Democratic primary, AP calls race on election night

Rebecca Cooke defeated Emily Berge in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District on August 11, securing the nomination on her third bid for the seat. The Associated Press called the race at 9:21 p.m. on election night. At the time of the call, Cooke had more than 31,000 votes, while Berge had just over 24,000, according to the Associated Press count.

The two Democrats had spent the final stretch of the campaign crossing the western Wisconsin district, appearing together at a candidate forum in Eau Claire roughly four weeks before primary day. Cooke's victory was powered in part by a substantial fundraising advantage over her rival, according to reports on the race.

The result makes Cooke the Democratic nominee in a district her party has identified as central to its effort to win control of the U.S. House. She is now set to challenge Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden in the November general election, according to reports.

A primary shaped by money and an unusual coalition of backers

Cooke entered the August 11 primary against Emily Berge with a commanding fundraising advantage, giving her resources her rival could not match. Her list of backers was unusual in its breadth: support came from both the centrist Blue Dog Democrats and from Senator Bernie Sanders, a pairing that bridged the party's moderate and progressive wings. Cooke herself described her politics in Blue Dog terms, positioning as a centrist in a district Democrats see as winnable.

The two candidates appeared together at a forum in Eau Claire roughly four weeks before the primary, according to reporting on the contest. The event offered voters in the Chippewa Valley a direct side-by-side comparison of the two Democrats vying to take on Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden in November's general election.

Third campaign for a waitress-turned-nonprofit founder

Rebecca Cooke is a nonprofit founder and waitress who has kept working in restaurants while running for Congress, according to reports. She has also been described as a former small business owner and boutique owner, a background she has leaned on in presenting herself to voters in western Wisconsin's largely rural 3rd District.

Cooke identifies as a Blue Dog Democrat, aligning herself with the party's centrist wing even as she drew support from figures on its left flank.

This is her third attempt at the seat. She ran for the 3rd District in 2022 and again in 2024, falling short both times. Her persistence has made her a familiar figure to Democratic primary voters across the district, and this year it carried her to the nomination she had twice sought without success.

A competitive rematch with Van Orden awaits in November

Cooke's victory sends her into a November general election against Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden, the incumbent she is now set to challenge for the seat. According to reports, the contest is expected to be competitive, and it amounts to a rematch between the two candidates.

The stakes extend well beyond the district itself. Democrats view the western Wisconsin seat as an important piece of their effort to win control of the U.S. House, making the race one of the more closely watched contests of the cycle. The 3rd District, which includes Eau Claire and the surrounding Chippewa Valley, has drawn sustained attention from both parties as a result. For Cooke, the primary was only the first step; the general election will determine whether Democrats can flip a seat they see as central to their path to a House majority.

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