Bernie Sanders headed to Wisconsin to campaign for Rebecca Cooke

MADISON - Bernie Sanders will visit Wisconsin's Driftless Area next week as part of a tour of the Midwest aimed at boosting Democratic congressional candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The Vermont senator who won the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary in 2016 will hold "an intimate town hall" event with Rebecca Cooke, who is challenging Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd Congressional District.

Sanders' visit comes five months after he last appeared in Wisconsin, when he attracted thousands to events ahead of the state Supreme Court election in the 1st and 3rd congressional districts as part of his tour of GOP-held areas.

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In a statement, Sanders said candidates like Cooke "understand the need for decent paying jobs, health care for all, and the end of a corrupt campaign finance system in which the ultra-wealthy buy politicians."A spokeswoman for Van Orden did not immediately have a reaction to Sanders' visit. Van Orden defeated Cooke 51% to 49% in the closest U.S. House race in November 2024.Sanders is a popular figure in Wisconsin among Democrats who have often favored him more than the party's presidential nominees. In 2016, he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary and during the 2020 presidential contest, he outpaced his Democratic rivals — including Joe Biden — by double digits in popularity, according to a February 2020 poll by the Marquette University Law School.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/15/bernie-sanders-headed-to-driftless-area-to-boost-rebecca-cooke-in-the-3rd-congressional-district/85673662007/