3rd CD Dem challenger Rebecca Cooke and U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, are set to meet in a candidate forum following months of back and forth about a potential debate.
It’s the first time the two candidates will meet in a debate or forum after the two did not debate ahead of the 2024 election that Van Orden won by less than 4 percentage points.
The candidate forum, hosted by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, will take place Oct. 20 at 11 a.m. at the Chippewa Valley Technical College and be moderated by political analyst John Frank and WEAU-TV reporter/anchor Kim Leadholm.
Forum questions will focus on business priorities and other issues impacting the 3rd CD. The forum is only open to chamber investors but will be livestreamed by WEAU.
The forum is the first time two general election candidates in the 3rd CD have met since Van Orden faced then-U.S. Rep. Ron Kind in 2020.
Van Orden has repeatedly accused Cooke of “dodging a debate” after first challenging her to a formal meeting in July. Cooke declined invitations from the Wisconsin Firearm Owners Association and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin over concerns of “partisan bias.”
Most recently, the two campaigns clashed over scheduling for a forum hosted by the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce.
In 2024, the UW-La Crosse Debate Coalition invited both candidates, though Van Orden objected to the debate proposal over concerns about a lack of negotiations with his campaign staff.