WI-3 La Crosse, Eau Claire
Wisconsin
Not calledR -4.0closes 9:00 pm ET
Lean D
Who's running
Derrick Van OrdenRIncumbent
Derrick Van Orden has been in Congress since 2023. He spent 26 years in the Navy and retired as a SEAL senior chief. He beat Cooke by about 3 points in 2024.
What they say they'll do
- Sits on Agriculture and Veterans committees
- Defended his Iran war votes and the tax bill
- Calls Cooke a handpicked national Democrat
Rebecca CookeD
Rebecca Cooke is a small business owner and waitress who also worked as a Democratic fundraiser. She lost to Van Orden in 2024 and is running again. She won the August primary with 60%.
What they say they'll do
- Raised about $12.7 million
- Backed by Blue Dogs, New Dems and EMILY's List
- Says Van Orden holds no in-person town halls
The tea ☕
- Van Orden posted AI-made fake videos of Cooke on social media. Cooke sent him a cease-and-desist letter in September and backed an ethics complaint filed in October. No ruling was reported.
- Van Orden has a history of outbursts. He scolded teenage Senate pages in 2023 and confronted a library worker over an LGBTQ book display in 2021.
- Polls disagree. Democratic polls showed Cooke up by 2 to 4 points, while a September Republican poll had Van Orden up 5.
Sources
- https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin%27s_3rd_Congressional_District_election,_2026
- https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/10/western-wisconsin-democrats-seek-to-flip-3rd-congressional-district-cooke-van-orden/
- https://www.wispolitics.com/?p=419892
- https://www.270towin.com/2026-house-election/table/cook-political-report-2026-house-ratings