Eau Claire Democrat Rebecca Cooke won the Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, setting up a rematch against Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in November. In 2024, Cooke won the Democratic primary and herself outperformed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the district. Cooke lost to Van Orden by less than 3 percentage points, receiving 48.6 percent to Van Orden’s 51.3 percent of the vote. In a statement, Van Orden called Cooke “an anointed candidate” by national Democrats who will “carry water for the socialists who have taken over their party.” Van Orden’s campaign has focused its opposition on Cooke well before the primary race.