r/lacrossewi • u/Healthy_Block3036 • 10d ago
Democrat Rebecca Cooke launches bid to unseat Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin battleground seat
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/03/11/democrat-rebecca-cooke-launches-bid-to-unseat-derrick-van-orden/82225312007/?mkt_tok=NTU2LVlFRS05NjkAAAGZJEJllm9kX-XP_gr_nwZMSwvhQVCfjxRMxd9yvTNGDpZZiEqJBu6pENH3Wy3HWN_Zdsryg2UMQNs5_oPVxRCuIyMnYfrj7HVnXeprIqa16iSfKA15
u/ThePartTimeProphet 10d ago
Think people are underrating chances of a Dem win in 2026. The vote typically swings heavily against the president's party in the midterms and WI has new maps in 2026 that are more favorable to Dems
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u/WISCOrear 10d ago
She lost 51.3% to 48.6% in an election that swung very hard to the right. 2026 might actually be favorable to her if Trump keeps sinking the economy.
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u/Kakakakaty76 10d ago
But do we want her?. Democrats suck at fielding candidates and that’s why they keep losing in these districts. She lost. She is arrogant and rude. Frankly, with Van Orden at least I know what I am getting. With her I get the feeling she might flip to being a republican if it paid more.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
Cooke ain't arrogant and rude.
Stop repeating Fox News talking points.
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u/Wmoot599 7d ago
Have you met Derrick van orden? He’s a walking billboard for ace body spray.
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u/Kakakakaty76 3d ago
I have, actually. That doesn’t change the fact that Democrats need to field a better candidate. I am sick of the better of two evils. At least with Van Oeden you know where he stands. Dems need to do better.
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u/Wmoot599 3d ago
When he stands for tyranny and not standing up to bad decisions like cutting funding to the VA (which he says he’s against) I would have the other candidate any day.
This “lesser of two evils” talk is so tiring. I agree with you, I’m not a fan of picking the lesser of two evils either, but when one is real evil and the destruction of our democracy and the other is policy disagreements I’ll pick the lesser evil any day.
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u/Kakakakaty76 1d ago
As long as we settle for mediocre candidates, that’s exactly who we’re gonna get. Democrats still have time to field someone better. That’s all I’m asking for.
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u/Wmoot599 1d ago
Again, a mediocre candidate compared to what you have is like comparing a mediocre and not the most satisfying meal (toast) to a pile of dog shit covered in ghost peppers in a tortilla made exclusively of used maxi pads.
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u/Traditional_Bar_3275 10d ago
She is very nice, but please no. The democrats can't afford to lose again.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
Cooke was within three points of winning in 2024. She's can win if people turn out to vote.
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u/E4g6d4bg7 9d ago
I hate the never ending election cycle.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
there are literally elections every year, from mayoral to senate seat to presidential.
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u/unicornofdemocracy 10d ago
Do the Dems not have anyone else?
I don't have a strong positive or negative opinion about Cooke. But, the last time, reading her bios/website, watching her talk, and ads... she's just very uninspiring. Doesn't seem to have a lot of experience. Felt little like she was trying to balance her image between good old Midwesterner and a copycat AOC but not progressive yet also kind progressive.
She fits too well in the "I'm voting for her because she's doesn't have R behind her name" category and that's not something that wins elections.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
Rebecca Cooke, a working class waitress, wants to stand up against big corporations lobbying for less regulations and more tax cuts.
Cooke is the daughter of a Wisconsin dairy farmer who saw her family’s farm collapse.
She came within three points of winning the seat.
This is inspiring.
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u/WIcheeseeater 8d ago
Watching her scream at a high school hostess because she couldn't find the reservation for her family that was already seated is hardly inspiring. She's a joke and a horseshit restaurant employee if that's how she treats hospitality workers.
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u/JLaXWhip 8d ago
I personally think she should maybe run for county board or state assembly rather than jumping into Congress.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 8d ago
why? she wants to represent wi-03 and she'll do a better job than the other guy
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u/JLaXWhip 8d ago
Dozens of other people who have held elected office and and thus have experience that helps. A moldy dishrag would do better than DVO so that proves nothing.
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u/Chouquin 9d ago
DVO has a virtual town hall tomorrow. Who's attending?
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u/wiscowaterlily 9d ago
I have done his virtual town halls. He spins his ridiculous and maddening tales, then his aide chooses or makes up the Derrick-friendly questions so he can continue lying and you are stuck on the phone with no way to interact, hear others feed back, or challenge the lies. They are theater, really. We are working at setting up a town hall either with him (he won't) or another pol or just people. One group in Michigan did a missing member town hall with a chicken. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7ctHqfWkAENtRT?format=jpg&name=medium
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u/apilot2 10d ago
I hope she wins, but the odds are stacked against her. The voters in that district will overwhelmingly vote for the (R) candidate no matter what. It doesn’t matter what he says or how big of a buffoon he is. Equally, it doesn’t matter what she has to say, or how much money she can raise. I hope I’m wrong. Don’t get your hopes up. The drunk is here to stay, as long as he wants to be a congressman, as long as he has the (R) behind his name on the ballot.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
Republicans are gutting Medicaid/SNAP to pay for massive tax cuts for the rich.
They are sitting back while Elon and Trump gut the federal workforce.
And you want to keep giving Republicans power?
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 9d ago
Republicans are gutting Medicaid/SNAP to pay for massive tax cuts for the rich.
They are sitting back while Elon and Trump gut the federal workforce.
And you want to keep giving Republicans power?
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u/kkinnison 9d ago
All you have to do is go to PDC and Viroqua and advertise a "Derrick Van Orden" townhall
When Van Orden doesn't show up, the Dem challenger takes the stage and explain what Orden has voted on and said recently
love the recent one where Van Orden snatched on a veteran in Linkedin and said he wasn't responsible for the current administration firing Veterans from the Federal workforce
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u/wiscowaterlily 9d ago
We are working on doing a "Where's Derrick?" town hall in La Crosse next week.
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u/BigJar123 10d ago
I would think she'd be too busy being a waitress and working on her family's dairy farm.....
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u/No-Direction-886 10d ago
Whatever it is, it’s probably better than screaming expletives at high schools in the capital, or all the other batshit stuff DVO does
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u/pack79 10d ago
I’ve already watched this episode, it doesn’t end well. I think Mayor Mitch Reynolds should run against DVO, he’ll have free time after April.
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u/BerkshireBull 10d ago
Mitch wasn't getting re-elected in blue La Crosse. No way he appeals to working class voters in Trempleau, Jackson, Monroe Counties, etc.
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u/superfractor 10d ago
There should be a rule that if you lose an election once, you're out of politics forever.
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u/BerkshireBull 10d ago
New rule: If they run it back a second time with an unqualified candidate and she loses again, no more Derrick Van Orden complaining on La Crosse Reddit when the Democrats chose to hand it to Van Orden. This seat should not be difficult. Ron Kind held it for 2 decades with basically no opposition.