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Washington — Third time's the charm for Democrat Rebecca Cooke, who ousted two-term Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden successful Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projected.
The highly competitory seat, which covers parts of the occidental and cardinal areas of the state, was a apical people for Democrats successful their quest to reclaim the House majority.
Former President Barack Obama carried the agrarian district, which includes the assemblage towns of Eau Claire, La Crosse and Stevens Point, successful 2008 and 2012. But the territory past voted for President Trump successful 3 consecutive statesmanlike elections.
Van Orden was archetypal elected successful 2022, flipping the territory reddish aft Democrats held the spot for astir 3 decades. Cooke mislaid a superior bid that twelvemonth for the Democratic nomination. She ran again successful 2024, losing the wide predetermination to Van Orden by little than 3 percent points.
Cooke, a mean Democrat, had a fundraising vantage implicit the GOP incumbent, pulling successful astir $12 cardinal compared to Van Orden's $8.8 million, according to the latest Federal Election Commission data.
She had the backing of the Democratic governmental establishment, arsenic good arsenic progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and imaginable 2028 statesmanlike contenders, Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee provided enactment to Cooke, including endorsing her successful the superior implicit her opponent, Emily Berge. The involution of House Democrats' run limb successful the primary, arsenic good arsenic successful different superior contests, inflamed tensions wrong the enactment implicit its aboriginal arsenic left-wing challengers won a fig of primaries this cycle.
Mr. Trump's policies person contributed to fiscal uncertainty for farmers successful the district, who are feeling the impacts of the Iran warfare done accrued costs of fertilizer and diesel prices. Mr. Trump's tariff wars person besides added to the fiscal pressure.
Mr. Trump traveled to the territory successful June — his lone sojourn to Wisconsin this predetermination rhythm — to committedness farmers an economical turnaround.
Van Orden, who sits connected the House Agriculture Committee, criticized the Supreme Court for its "botched" decision invalidating Mr. Trump's sweeping tariffs and has voted against ending the Iran war.
In a caller debate, Van Orden acknowledged that the warfare was making it much hard for Republicans to support their House and Senate majorities, but defended the conflict.
"Do I privation to beryllium successful a warfare with Iran close now? No, I don't privation to beryllium successful a warfare with anybody close now," Van Orden said. "Is it making it exponentially harder for Republicans to clasp the House and the Senate? Yes, it is. But we person to deliberation astir our children and grandchildren. We've been warring the warfare that the extremist Muslim mullahs declared connected america for 50 years, and I don't privation my grandchildren warring the aforesaid warfare that I did."
In summation to the House, Democrats person besides gained power of the Senate, CBS News projects.
Opposition to information halfway improvement was besides a taxable successful the race, with some candidates accusing their hostile of supporting pro-data halfway policies. AI usage had besides cropped up arsenic a apical issue, with Cooke sending a cease-and-desist missive to Van Orden successful precocious September for his usage of deepfake videos that falsely attributed statements to Cooke. Cooke's lawyer said the AI-generated videos were defamatory and noted that they travel amid wide backlash to information centers that powerfulness the technology. Van Orden's run called the informing a "stunt."
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