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Rebecca Cooke has won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, defeating former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge and earning a second consecutive shot at Republican Rep.
The Cook Political Report has moved this race from "lean Republican" to "toss up," a signal that national Democrats see a real path.
What complicates the picture: Cooke lost to Van Orden by roughly 11,000 votes in November 2024, carrying 48.6% to his 51.4%, and scrutiny of her personal finances is already shaping up as the central Republican line of attack before the general election begins.
A working-class pitch in a competitive western Wisconsin seat Cooke, who grew up on a dairy farm near Eau Claire, has built her candidacy around a biography that spans decades outside politics.
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