Politics
Sanders campaigns with Cooke in Eau Claire as Wisconsin House race enters final stretch
Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke at an Eau Claire get-out-the-vote rally and canvass on Oct. 25. The campaign focused on affordability, government accountability and rural hospitals as Cooke challenged incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Democratic candidate Rebecca Cooke at a get-out-the-vote rally and canvassing event in Eau Claire on Sunday, Oct. 25, urging supporters to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Sanders and Cooke discussed affordability, government accountability and rural hospitals, according to the event organizers. Sanders called the election exceptionally consequential, saying, “In my view this is the most important midterm election in the modern history in our country and maybe even the history of our country.”
Cooke said she believed a united effort could flip the seat and help Democrats win control of the House. She is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
Van Orden’s office criticized Cooke’s decision to campaign with Sanders, describing the senator as a “millionaire socialist” and saying his policies would mean bigger government and higher taxes. The statement also accused Cooke of misrepresenting her working-class background. Those were claims from Van Orden’s office; no evidence supporting the accusations was included in the statement provided.
The event combined campaign appearances with canvassing, a last-minute effort to mobilize voters in the western Wisconsin race. Cooke’s remarks referred to nine days until Election Day, Nov. 3.