The Democrats’ closely contested primary in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District saw Rebecca Cooke emerge victorious. The Associated Press declared her the winner with 90% of the votes counted, giving her a 7-point lead over her main rival, state Rep. Katrina Shankland. Cooke expressed her gratitude in her victory speech at The Good Wives, a restaurant where she works as a waitress.
Her win sets Cooke up to challenge incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the upcoming election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is focusing on flipping the district, as Republicans only narrowly control the U.S. House. Cooke’s opponents, Shankland and Eric Wilson, received 41.9% and 8.8% of the votes, respectively.
Despite the aggressive race and significant outside spending, Cooke commended both her opponents in her victory speech. Shankland was supported by gun control activist David Hogg, while Cooke received backing from the New Democrat Majority PAC. Cooke has faced scrutiny for a potential conflict of interest related to her nonprofit organization and a business that received a grant from it.
Cooke garnered endorsements from various local Democrats and lawmakers across the country, including Rep. Jared Golden and the moderate Blue Dogs PAC. The Wisconsin AFL-CIO endorsed Shankland, while Wilson received support from Rep. Ro Khanna and Democrats in the north half of the district.
The Third District covers western Wisconsin and includes counties that switched from Obama to Trump in past elections. Cooke aims to be a strong advocate for the region and its resources in Washington, as she highlighted in her victory speech. Some voters in the district showed their support for Cooke to The Epoch Times. Aidan Leddick, outside the Lutheran church in Eau Claire after voting, mentioned that Rebecca Cooke seemed interesting. He also mentioned that a little infighting among Democrats in the Third district wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.
Brandon Winger, outside the same polling place, expressed frustration that he couldn’t vote for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He regretted not being able to support Cooke due to the partisan nature of Wisconsin’s primaries.
In Mauston, Wis., Diane Dahl, located in the same building as the Juneau County Democratic Party, refrained from disclosing her support in the Third District competition due to the conflicts it had caused.
During her victory speech, Cooke touched on issues that would appeal to a more conservative audience while also addressing liberal and progressive concerns. She mentioned praying for many people in the district and highlighted her stance on abortion rights. Please rewrite this sentence.
Source link
