Democrat Congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke has obtained a key designation by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but is it payback for her longstanding ties to the organization?
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has named Rebecca Cooke to its elite “Red to Blue” program for 2026, a move that has led to allegations of self-dealing from grassroots Democrats in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
The DCCC’s designation provides Cooke’s campaign with strategic guidance, staff resources, training and fundraising support in her bid to unseat Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from within Democratic ranks, with primary challenger Emily Berge accusing national party operatives of hand-picking Cooke and sidelining a competitive primary.
“We have people in D.C. picking who they want to represent western and central Wisconsin,” Berge said. “They told me ‘We don’t want a primary’ so that means they want to pick who goes up against Derrick Van Orden in November. That is not fair, that is not patriotic, it’s not democratic. We deserve better than that.”
Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad echoed the frustration, saying he was “incensed” that the DCCC “put their thumb on the scales” by backing Cooke despite Berge securing endorsements from national progressive groups and more than 30 local political leaders.
Critics point to Cooke’s deep history with the DCCC and national Democratic fundraising circles as the real reason for the favoritism. Her name appeared on a now-deleted 2015 DCCC master fundraising list tied to California Democrat Raul Ruiz. In February 2015, Cooke registered Cooke Strategy LLC, a fundraising and finance consulting firm that worked on multiple federal races.
Federal clients included Nelson for Wisconsin, Kirk Bangstad for Congress, Marisa Wood for Congress in California, Friends of Patrick Murphy in Florida and PEM PAC, the leadership PAC of then-Rep. Patrick Murphy. Cooke has positioned herself as a small-business owner and nonprofit leader rooted in western Wisconsin values, but records show her career as a political operative stretches back over a decade.
The early DCCC intervention comes as Cooke, who narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 after a previous bid, faces Berge and another Democrat in the Aug. 11 primary.
