Why It Matters
Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary on August 11 pits two starkly different candidates against each other in a race to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in a district that leans conservative. The outcome will shape which message the Democratic Party runs in a seat the party has struggled to hold.
What Happened
Emily Berge, the former president of the Eau Claire city council, is mounting an insurgent primary campaign against Rebecca Cooke, a former political fundraiser and business owner who nearly won the seat two years ago. Berge announced her candidacy in April of the previous year, moving forward despite objections from national Democratic Party leadership.
Berge has spent the past eight months on a grassroots campaign across the district, driving 18,000 miles in a used Hyundai purchased to replace her aging Subaru Outback. In mid-July, she worked a shift at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau milkshake stand at the Trempealeau County fair and attended events with the Wisconsin Farmers Union, underscoring her focus on rural outreach.
Cooke enters the primary with substantial organizational and financial advantages. She finished second in the 2022 primary and won the 2024 primary before losing the general election to Van Orden. In that general election, she outperformed Former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the district—a sign of her personal appeal to local voters. She has secured high-profile endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, and the Blue Dog Caucus.
The two candidates differ sharply on healthcare policy. Berge supports Medicare for All, while Cooke backs incremental reforms. More significantly, they have diverged on conversion therapy. Berge, a trained mental health counselor who led Eau Claire’s efforts to enact a local conversion therapy ban, has been unequivocal in supporting a federal ban at every campaign forum. Cooke’s position has shifted across multiple appearances: at a May forum in La Crosse, she suggested the issue should be left to local decision-makers; at a June forum in Platteville, she said she would not vote for a federal ban; after that forum, she released a statement saying she had misunderstood the question and would support a ban; at a final Eau Claire forum, she said she does “not support conversion therapy whatsoever” without clarifying her voting position.
Van Orden has seized on Cooke’s inconsistency, criticizing what he calls her “flip-flopping” on the issue.
By the Numbers
$8.3 million — Cooke’s total fundraising since the start of 2025
$2.4 million — Cooke’s cash on hand at the end of the most recent reporting period
$578,000 — Berge’s entire campaign spending
$500,000 — amount Cooke’s campaign spent on political consultant fees since January
40+ points — Cooke’s lead over Berge in her spring internal polling
August 11 — date of the Democratic primary election
Zoom Out
Wisconsin’s 3rd District has become a key battleground in the broader fight for the House. The seat flipped Republican in 2022 when Brad Pfaff, who won the 2022 Democratic primary, lost to Van Orden. Cooke’s 2024 general-election performance, in which she exceeded statewide Democratic numbers, suggested she remains the stronger general-election candidate in many analysts’ views—a calculation the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed with its early endorsement of Cooke. Cook Political Report rates the district as lean Republican, making any Democratic victory an uphill climb.
What’s Next
The primary electorate will choose between Berge’s grassroots challenge and Cooke’s establishment-backed bid on August 11. Whichever Democrat prevails will face Van Orden in November in a district where Republicans hold a structural advantage. The broader Wisconsin political landscape has seen other high-profile primary contests and party-establishment tensions, suggesting the state remains fertile ground for intra-party disagreements over strategy and messaging.