Derrick Van Orden wins reelection in competitive congressional race

Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden won his first reelection bid in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, fending off a challenge from Democrat Rebecca Cooke in one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races.

According to unofficial results from the Associated Press as of 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, Van Orden beat Cooke with 51.4 percent of the vote. Cooke, an Eau Claire business owner, had 48.6 percent of the vote.

“We won!” Van Orden declared on the social media platform X at about 3 a.m.

Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL from Prairie du Chien, was first elected in 2022 after narrowly losing a race for the same seat in 2020. He has become known for his outspoken approach in his first term in office. He has also been a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump.

The mostly rural district, encompassing southwestern and parts of central Wisconsin, was a top target by Democrats to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Speaking to WXOW-TV at his election night party before the race was called, Van Orden said he plans to “get up and go to work tomorrow.” He pointed to the need for Congress to pass a farm bill in order to continue food assistance for low income people and programs for farmers.

Van Orden’s campaign declined WPR’s requests to cover the congressman’s election night event in La Crosse.

Cooke and national Democratic groups spent millions of dollars on this year’s race, after the party largely abandoned the district in the closing days of the 2022 election. That year, Onalaska state Sen. Brad Pfaff came up just short to Van Orden.

But Van Orden’s campaign surpassed Cooke in fundraising, bringing in $6.6 million as of Oct. 16 compared to Cooke’s $5.3 million. The combined fundraising total was more than any other U.S. House race in the state, according to reporting by journalism nonprofit The Badger Project, and was the most expensive in the history of the 3rd District.

Cooke, who first ran for the seat two years ago and lost in that year’s Democratic primary, had hoped to appeal to independent voters and moderate Republicans.

Speaking to WPR before the race was called, Cooke said her campaign “ran one hell of a race.”

“We really left no stone unturned and so I’m really proud of the campaign, win or lose,” Cooke said. “We’ve pulled people off of the sidelines, people who don’t always see themselves reflected in the political process, and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done in that way.”

Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District was held for 26 years by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse. It’s one of just two U.S. House districts in Wisconsin that are considered competitive under the state’s congressional map.

Editor’s Note: Addie Costello contributed to this story.