Former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge suggested national Dem leaders are hypocritical for backing well-funded candidates while also advocating to reverse a Supreme Court ruling that unleashed unlimited outside spending in elections. 

Berge didn’t mention rival Rebecca Cooked by name at the April 21 forum of 3rd CD Dems in Stevens Point. Still, her comments came as she has criticized the Dem establishment for backing Cooke in the primary. Cooke is on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of 12 candidates it’s backing to flip key districts this cycle. 

Berge said she’s always supported removing big money from politics, but over the past year living the experience as a congressional candidate, “it’s even more evident and it’s disgusting.” 

She decried elected officials at the national level saying they want to overturn Citizens United while then backing the top-funded candidate. 

“You can’t have it both ways,” Berge said. 

Cooke raised $2.4 million over the first three months of the year, outraising incumbent U.S.Rep. Derrick Van Orden as well as her Dem rivals. The haul included nearly $1.7 million from individual donors. 

Meanwhile, Cooke criticized Van Orden for taking maximum contributions from people like tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. She also noted her past Dem opponent Katrina Shankland had challenged her to sign a pledge not to take corporate PAC money, which she said he has stuck to. 

“I’m not going to be beholden to corporations with special interests in Congress,” Cooke said, noting she supports ending Citizens United and banning congressional stock trading. 

Last night was the first of four forums that 3rd CD Dems plan to hold this cycle ahead of the Aug. 11 primary election. 

Berge, Cooke and former Ho-Chunk Nation legislator Rodney Rave answered questions on a range of topics from ag-related issues and data centers to rural health care access and getting big money out of political campaigns. 

The candidates also weighed in on immigration and Wisconsin farmers’ reliance on undocumented immigrant workers. 

Cooke criticized the Department of Homeland Security, which she said has “overreached in a pretty tremendous way in Minneapolis and communities across this country” and Van Orden for celebrating ICE’s actions. 

“I believe in law and order … and these agents have been acting above the law. I believe in masks off, accountability. And I’m so glad to see that Kristi Noem has been fired,” she said. 

Berge said rural populations are declining and there are people from other countries willing to work. She suggested offering year-round work permits instead of just seasonal work permits as a potential option that could help farmers. 

Berge said President Donald Trump had “terrorized” urban areas, which she said also impacted rural areas. 

Meanwhile, Rave spoke to his and his family’s fears around the immigration crackdown. 

“Being brown, I have to deal with it; I carry our passports, our travel identifications,” he said, adding there needs to be reform to make it easier for people to become legal citizens. 

Also during the forum, Rave noted several times he has little knowledge about farming despite running in the agriculture-focused district. Asked about federal government subsidies for corporate agriculture, Rave said he would leave the question to Cooke. 

“I’m learning, but I will be the first to admit I don’t know much about farming,” Rave said, noting he has been reaching out to farmers during the campaign.  

RNC spokesperson Hunter Lovell said the forum showed the Dem candidates “are all pushing the same extreme, out-of-touch agenda that doesn’t reflect rural Wisconsin.

“No matter who emerges from this primary, Wisconsin voters will be faced with a candidate who is out of step with the hardworking men and women they’re asking to represent,” Lovell said.