Cooke meets with the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce

EAU CLAIRE — Rebecca Cooke said she is ready to debate her congressional opponent Derrick Van Orden “anytime, anywhere.”

“I think it’s important to give voters an opportunity to hear from the candidates,” Cooke said Friday during a stop in Eau Claire.

Cooke, a Democrat from Eau Claire, is running for the Third Congressional District seat held by Van Orden, a Republican from Prairie Du Chien.

On Thursday, the UW-La Crosse Debate Coalition offered to host a debate between Cooke and Van Orden. Van Orden, who did not debate Democratic opponent Brad Pfaff in 2022, issued a statement about the proposal.

“My campaign received a request from UW-La Crosse and media partners to host a debate next week without consulting or negotiating with my staff regarding the date, time, location, format or composition of the panel of moderators,” Van Orden wrote in a press release that his election campaign published on Thursday evening. “This is highly unprofessional and not the way my campaign debates. I look forward to educating the public about the lies my opponent has spread and her background as a political insider in the Defund the Police movement. My team will contact UW-La Crosse and see if we can come to an agreement regarding a debate.”

Cooke said she saw nothing wrong with how UW La Crosse offered the debate, noting they were simply trying to set a date before the Nov. 5 election.

“I don’t think there was anything crazy about it,” Cooke said.

Cooke met with the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Although the media was not allowed to observe the forum, she said it was a good discussion about how the region is dealing with the loss of two area hospitals and dealing with rising costs.

“There were a lot of questions about the general economy,” she said.

Recent attack ads have questioned Cooke’s stance on gun rights. Cooke said she has shot guns while hunting in the past.

“Hunting and gamesmanship are a big part of our culture,” Cooke said. “General background checks don’t make hunters bat an eyelid. Despite what people say, I’m not trying to take away their guns.”

Cooke advocated for increasing Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates and called for changes to the Farm Bill to help small farms. She noted that she is still a waitress and had a shift to work on Friday night, and she draws on her lived experiences.

“We need more working-class voices in Congress,” she said.

While rural areas increasingly vote Republican, Cooke noted that she has been running for office for about three years; She lost the 2022 primary to Pfaff.

“I’m not afraid to talk to people who have different views than me,” she said. “I positioned myself as a very moderate Democrat.”

The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce is not endorsing any candidates. A week ago they held a similar forum event with Van Orden.