Democrat Rebecca Cooke has defeated Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, flipping the western Wisconsin seat on a rough night for Republicans.
Cooke built an early lead and never gave it up. Decision Desk HQ had her up 54.7 percent to 44.2 percent with about a quarter of the vote counted.
This was a rematch. Van Orden beat Cooke in 2024, and Democrats spent the last two years making this seat a top target, pouring in money and national attention to take it back.
Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, never apologized for who he was. He fought for farmers, veterans, and the river towns of western Wisconsin, and he stood with President Trump when plenty of Republicans in swing seats ran for cover.
Republicans will want this seat back in 2028, and the voters who sent Van Orden to Congress twice aren’t going anywhere.
