Rebecca Cooke (born December 21, 1987) is an American nonprofit founder and former political consultant who is the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2026 election. She unsuccessfully ran to represent the district in 2022 and 2024. From 2019 to 2021, Cooke served on the board of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
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Early life and education
Rebecca Cooke was born on December 21, 1987, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the youngest of three children in a dairy farming family. She is a descendant of abolitionist Chauncey Cooke.
Cooke attended 4-H youth programs as a child, and was the president of her local 4-H club. While attending North High School, she began working as a waitress. After graduation, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Career
After college, Cooke worked as a fundraiser for national campaigns. From 2012 to 2014, she served as finance director for four congressional campaigns in four U.S. states. In 2014, she moved back to Eau Claire, where she opened a home goods store, Red's Mercantile, and began to work as a political consultant. Between 2015 and 2021, Cooke's consulting firm advised eight political campaigns.
In 2016, Cooke founded a nonprofit to support female business owners with grants. In 2019, Governor Tony Evers appointed her to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation's board of directors, where she co-chaired the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Committee and later served as board secretary. Cooke resigned from the board in November 2021. In 2022, she closed her home goods store.
Congressional campaigns
2022
Cooke ran in Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in 2022, coming second in the Democratic primary to state senator Brad Pfaff. Running as a Blue Dog Democrat, Cooke campaigned on improving the economy, lowering healthcare costs, and investing in infrastructure. She lost by seven points in what was called an underdog campaign. She performed best in the district's rural areas.
2024
Cooke ran to represent the 3rd congressional district again while continuing to work three nights a week as a waitress. She campaigned as a moderate Democrat, and pledged to join the centrist Blue Dog Coalition if elected, though she emphasized her support for abortion rights and healthcare reform. Mother Jones called Cooke's campaign style "a moderate version of Democratic populism".
The incumbent, Derrick Van Orden, defeated Cooke in the general election by less than three points. She outperformed Kamala Harris in the concurrently held presidential election.
2026
Cooke is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 election for the 3rd congressional district. Considered the front-runner in the Democratic primary, she received "a wide range of Democratic endorsements from progressives and moderates", earning the support of Bernie Sanders as well as the New Democrat Coalition and the Blue Dog Caucus.
Before winning the August 11 Democratic primary, Cooke confirmed that this would be her last campaign for the seat. After becoming the nominee, Cooke was described by the libertarian magazine Reason as "a straight shooter in a district that probably needs that type of candidate".
Political views
Cooke identifies as a centrist, and has repeatedly said she plans to caucus with the Blue Dogs if elected. She has called herself as "a Blue Dog and a new Dem" but "very progressive where it counts". Cooke has criticized the national Democratic Party's public image, calling their branding "far left" and out of touch with most Americans. She has called congressional Democrats "too far left" and congressional Republicans "too far right".
Cooke has opposed calls to defund the police and abolish ICE. She supports universal background checks and stronger enforcement of red flag laws.
Cooke is pro-choice and has called abortion a decision that should be "free from political or governmental interference". She supports expanding Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision. She has backed stronger antitrust laws, and supports increasing the minimum wage to $15.
Cooke supported the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela and the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, but criticized the Trump administration's lack of a "concrete plan for stability" in the country. She has opposed foreign ownership of American farmland, and criticized tariffs imposed by the Trump administration for causing family farm bankruptcies.
Personal life
Cooke lives in Colfax, Wisconsin, and is a senior visiting fellow at Third Way, a centrist think tank. She is a personal friend of U.S. representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. Cooke is Protestant.