Race is set for competitive Wisconsin seat key to GOP retaining House control

Rebecca Cooke won the Democratic primary to take on Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional seat in what is expected to be one of the most competitive races of the 2024 cycle and could help determine which party wins control of the lower chamber next year. 

Cooke narrowly defeated two Democratic opponents in the race after garnering 49.1% of the vote with 90% of ballots tallied. The Associated Press called the race in her favor at 11:45 p.m. EST. 

Van Orden also won his primary on Tuesday after running unopposed. 

Van Orden was first elected to the House in 2022, defeating Democratic state Sen. Brad Pfaff and flipping the seat into Republican control for the first time since 1997. Since then, the seat has been considered a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats, and it is rated as “Lean Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. 

Since being elected, Van Orden has served as a vocal ally of former President Donald Trump, who backed the Wisconsin Republican’s 2022 campaign as well as his unsuccessful bid in 2020. 

However, Van Orden has received criticism from many of his Democratic colleagues as he was present on Capitol Hill during the Jan. 6 attack before being elected. The GOP incumbent has also come under fire after he reportedly yelled at a group of high-school aged Senate pages last summer for “defiling” the Capitol building. 

Van Orden won by more than 4 points in 2022. Still, Democrats are preparing to go on the offense against the incumbent in order to flip the district back into their control.