Rebecca Cooke gaining momentum after Wisconsin Supreme Court blowout
 

EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. – Last night’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race spells big trouble for Derrick Van Orden as Democrat Chris Taylor defeated her Republican opponent by 20 points, running up big margins in vote-rich areas of Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District. Each of the district’s 19 counties voted more Democratic than in 2024.  

The election results reflect a major shift towards Democrats, which could be enough to sink Van Orden after voting in 2025 to cut health care and raise electricity costs while handing out tax breaks to the ultra-rich. Van Orden’s support for an unpopular war that’s hurting Wisconsin’s economy will also be a factor.

“Last night’s results match what we are hearing from voters who are fed up with the status quo. Our campaign is building a broad coalition by focusing on what’s keeping people up at night: health care costs, grocery prices and the culture of corruption in Washington that too often stands in the way of real change,” Rebecca Cooke said. “Derrick Van Orden is part of the problem in DC, not the solution, and West Central Wisconsin deserves new leadership.”

  • Semafor’s Dave Weigel called the results “promising if you’re Rebecca Cooke.”
  • Punchbowl News wrote that Taylor “won big in La Crosse and Eau Claire counties in southwestern Wisconsin. Both are in the 3rd District, where Democrat Rebecca Cooke is trying to knock out GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden.”
  • Down ballot WI-03 wins: Allison Page defeated a 12-year Republican incumbent in River Falls and Democrat Matthrew Crowe defeated a 16-year Republican incumbent to become Mayor of Menomonie. 
  • POLITICO: ‘A wow moment’: Democrats make big gains in key battlegrounds

All of this is happening against the backdrop of a war of choice that’s causing gas prices to spike and diesel costs to soar more than $1 a gallon. Rebecca, who grew up on a dairy farm and maintains a waitressing job, told USA Today that the war “has only made things worse for, in particular, working-class Americans.”

Last month, the Cooke campaign released a poll showing Rebecca leading Van Orden 49-48, with Cooke leading among Independents. In 2024, she outran the Harris-Walz ticket by more than 9,000 votes and outperformed Senator Tammy Baldwin by 5,000 votes. 

Rebecca is endorsed by Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, 16 Members of Congress, State Senator Brad Pfaff, AFSCME, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Councils 7 & 82, Office and Professional Employees International Union, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) Union, UFCW Local 1473, Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council, IBEW State Conference, NRDC Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters, American Association for Justice (AAJ), End Citizens United, the Blue Dog Coalition, the New Dem Action Fund, Elect Democratic Women, EMILY’s List, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare PAC. She’s garnered the support of a broad coalition of farmers, small business owners, educators and healthcare workers across western Wisconsin. View the full list of endorsers here.