Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Chippewa Valley today, DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith released the following statement:
“Derrick Van Orden hauls in his elite friends from Washington to remind Wisconsin families the reason why they’re hurting: because Van Orden does D.C.’s bidding. He rubberstamps the reckless war driving up the cost of gas and groceries, guts health care and threatens rural hospitals, and cheers on the reckless tariffs hurting farmers. West Central Wisconsin can’t afford any more of Derrick Van Orden’s failures and they’ll elect Rebecca Cooke, who fights for the working people and family farmers left behind by Van Orden.”
Derrick Van Orden’s failures continue to pile up:
- Van Orden gutted health care funding and hospitals across WI-03 will lose $42 million in annual revenue thanks to Van Orden’s vote, threatening their ability to keep their doors open, including one in his district.
- Last month he got caught lying through his teeth claiming he didn’t vote to cut Medicaid, “despite supporting a bill that reduces Medicaid spending.”
- Van Orden even wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund the Mayo Clinic.
- Last month he got caught lying through his teeth claiming he didn’t vote to cut Medicaid, “despite supporting a bill that reduces Medicaid spending.”
- Van Orden unequivocally supports the war of choice in Iran that is driving up the cost of gas and groceries, and sending fertilizer costs skyrocketing. He backs reckless tariffs that have hurt West Central Wisconsin farmers, closing their markets, and increasing their input costs.
- After promising to be an independent voice for Wisconsin, Van Orden has become a complete rubber stamp for his Washington bosses. His party support score has increased with every year he’s been in Washington. Now, after taking millions from his party leaders, he votes with them more than 97% of the time.
- Van Orden thinks he is better than the people he is supposed to represent. On multiple occasions, Van Orden lorded his title, literally yelling:
- Van Orden said he supports cutting the VA, killed a home loan program that is already putting tens of thousands of veterans at risk of losing their homes, and stood by and did nothing as a veterans’ shelter in WI-03 closed down.
Rebecca Cooke has the message and momentum to win this race:
- Rebecca raised over $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2026. She entered the spring with $4.4 million cash on hand, a $600,000 advantage over Van Orden.
- Recent polling found that Rebecca leads Van Orden 50-46 on the initial vote. She grew her lead by three points from February, as she remains popular with voters and Van Orden’s unpopularity sinks to double digits underwater at -11 favorability.
- Cooke recently announced endorsements from more than 50 local elected officials, including Republicans.
- While Van Orden hides from the voters and refuses to face the people his votes are hurting, Rebecca is travelling the district to hear from West Central Wisconsin to meet voters where they are: from factories, breweries, and small businesses, to cranberry bogs and fire departments, to dairy farms, and more.
