Politics · November 4, 2026
Cooke wins Wisconsin seat in rematch; Berman beats Steil
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In a series of Wisconsin congressional rematches, Democrat Rebecca Cooke defeated incumbent Republican Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd Congressional District, while Democrat Mitchell Berman unseated Republican incumbent Bryan Steil in the 1st Congressional District. Cooke’s victory flips a seat previously held by Van Orden, who won their 2024 encounter by less than three percentage points. Cooke’s win was characterized by significant margins in urban areas like Eau Claire and La Crosse, which offset Republican strength in rural counties. Meanwhile, Berman, an emergency room nurse, defeated Steil, the chairman of the Committee on House Administration, in another close contest.
Read the original coverage
- The Center SquareAllSides: Lean Right
Cooke wins Wisconsin seat in rematch; Berman beats Steil
Read at The Center Square ↗ - Washington ExaminerMBFC: Right-Center
Cooke defeats Van Orden in Wisconsin rematch
Read at Washington Examiner ↗ - The HillMBFC: Least Biased
Cooke unseats incumbent Van Orden in Wisconsin House rematch
Read at The Hill ↗ - Wisconsin ExaminerAllSides: Lean LeftMBFC: Left
Rebecca Cooke flips Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District for Democrats • Wisconsin Examiner
Read at Wisconsin Examiner ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Rebecca Cooke defeated Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District.
- The race was a rematch of the 2024 election.
- Cooke received 52.4% of the vote while Van Orden received 45.8% at the time the race was called.
- Van Orden conceded the race to Cooke.
- Mitchell Berman defeated incumbent Bryan Steil in the 1st Congressional District.
Reported by only some outlets
- The AP called the race for Cooke at 11:48 p.m. with 90% of the vote counted.
- The AP called the race for Cooke at 12:48 a.m. with 91% of the vote counted.
- Cooke won Eau Claire and La Crosse counties by more than 20 points.
- Van Orden led only a single county, Adams, by more than 20 points as of 11:45 p.m.
- Berman declared victory just after 11 p.m., while Steil conceded around 11:30 p.m.
- Van Orden previously won the 2024 race against Cooke by 2.7 percentage points.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize Cooke's identity as a moderate who successfully built a coalition across urban and rural voters, highlighting her support from high-profile figures like Tammy Baldwin and Bernie Sanders.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
highlight the district's history of split-ticket voting and mention Van Orden's campaign accusations regarding Cooke's alleged ties to China and lobbying groups.
Centrist outlets tend to focus on…
focus on the projection of the win as a successfully executed rematch and provide a straightforward summary of the candidate's professional backgrounds.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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