U.S. Senate | U.S. House | State Senate | Assembly | Constitutional amendments
THE DISTRICT
This Republican-leaning district encompasses 18 counties. It spans most of western Wisconsin and includes a mixture of small Democratic-leaning cities — La Crosse, Eau Claire and Stevens Point — and rural Republican communities near the Minnesota border.
THE NUTSHELL
Freshman U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden and an ally of former President Donald Trump, Van Orden first won his seat in 2022 after longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Kind retired. Van Orden has the resources to mount a competitive reelection campaign, though he has attracted negative headlines for his conduct in Washington. For example, he drew bipartisan rebukes after reports surfaced that he yelled and cursed at a group of high-school-aged Senate pages. He has sought to appeal to more moderate voters over the past year. For example, after a train derailment in his district last summer, Van Orden introduced legislation that would bolster the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigative abilities. He faces small-business owner Rebecca Cooke, who says Van Orden has failed the residents of his district and his constituents deserve a representative who can get things done. Van Orden’s seat is seen by both national and Wisconsin Democrats as a prime flip opportunity to help them win back the U.S. House in November.
PRIMARY RESULTS
Cooke won a close Democratic primary and faces Van Orden, who didn’t have a primary opponent.
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