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CHIPPEWA FALLS (WQOW) – Democratic 3rd Congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke spent Monday evening walking around downtown Chippewa Falls talking to different business owners. She says she thinks people want a representative who will listen to their concerns.
Cooke says the effects of tariffs and the loss of health care coverage under the expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies are the top concerns she’s heard from local business owners. She says she can sympathize.
“As someone who was a small business owner and relied on the exchange for health care coverage it was always catastrophic,” Cooke said. “I still rely on the exchange for health care coverage and I’m seeing my coverage go up by $200 a month, and for a lot of families it’s something that’s going to make or break them.”
Cooke has been in this race before, first losing in the Democratic primary in 2022 then to Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden in the 2024 general election. This time she faces two other Democrats in the primary, former Ho-Chunk legislator Rodney Rave and Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge.
Cooke says Democratic primary voters should trust her to be the one to face Van Orden again in 2026 because she outperformed other Democrats on the 2024 ticket, Senator Tammy Baldwin and former Vice President Kamala Harris, within the 3rd Congressional District.
“We did that I think because we really showed up in rural communities talking about these things that were really keeping people up at night with an economic message and talking about kitchen table issues,” Cooke said. “That’s what we are remaining focused on is I’m hearing those things.”
She also thinks the national political landscape is more favorable to Democrats than the previous two elections.
Cooke on 2026 political landscape
“I think people are really frustrated from what they’ve seen with Republicans with total control of both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidency and if you don’t like what’s going on, which a lot of folks don’t, that’s the party to blame,” Cooke said.
The Democratic primary takes place in the spring with the general election in November 2026. Right now no other Republicans are running against Van Orden in a Republican primary.
Ahead of the primary 18 News has interviewed all the Democratic candidates.
Berge hopes experience as Eau Claire city council president will translate to Congress
3rd Congressional candidate Rodney Rave hopes to bring Ho-Chunk values to Congress
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