Dem 3rd CD candidate Rebecca Cooke has launched a new digital and TV ad featuring law enforcement saying ads that suggest she doesn’t support police are false.
Van Orden and GOP backers have run several ads saying Cooke doesn’t back law enforcement and supports defunding the police.
A Cooke campaign spokesperson told WisPolitics the Cooke ad is a six-figure buy running in the La Crosse, Wausau and Madison broadcast and cable markets as well as digital and streaming platforms.
The ad features Officer Mike Walter and Officer Paul Piotrowski, who ran for state Senate as a Dem in 2020 against Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point.
Walter says in 25 years as a police officer, “I’m trained to spot a lie when I see one.”
“Take it from me, these ads against Rebecca Cooke are false,” Piotrowski says.
Walter adds, “They’re not worth the special interest dollars that are funding them.”
Walter and Piotrowski say Cooke comes from a family of first responders and veterans, supports more funding for law enforcement and would “never defund the police.”
Cooke in the ad says she’ll “always put safety first,” with Walter adding Van Orden “just puts himself first.”