Rebecca Cooke announced she will run for Congress again

Democrat Rebecca Cooke will run for congress again. Cooke made the announcement Tuesday, blasting incumbent congressman Derrick Van Orden for allegedly avoiding constituents at listening sessions. Cooke said, “While Derrick Van Orden cowers and hides from the people of western Wisconsin, big drug companies are jacking up our medicine prices, out-of-touch elites are blocking pathways to homeownership and good jobs, and chaos continues to dominate Washington. It’s clear we need more working-class voices in Congress who have lived failed policy and will actually fight like hell to rebuild the middle class.” Cooke is an Eau Claire native who grew up on a dairy farm and touts having worked as a waitress before becoming a small business owner. Cooke lost to Van Orden in November by just over 11,000 votes, in what was the most expensive congressional races in terms of political spending in western Wisconsin’s history. Cooke is the first Democrat to announce plans to run for Wisconsin’s Third District. She plans to make the announcement official at a press conference in Chippewa County.