WATERTOWN, Wis. — In Wisconsin’s most competitive House race, Democratic challenger Rebecca Cook is criticizing her opponent for running a border security campaign, even as she criticizes her opponent’s appeal to immigrant voters. He positions himself as a moderate on the most important issues.
Incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Trump supporter, has been an outspoken opponent of the Biden administration’s border policies.
The Cook Political Report rates the race as leaning toward Republicans, but Democrats believe that Cook defeated an incumbent state representative close to party leadership in the August primary, making it difficult for him to run in November. I think this could be a chance for recovery.
Mr. Cook’s more typical Democratic positions include support for Roe v. Wade and federal funding for family planning. rebecca cook
Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL, flipped western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District red by 3.7 percentage points in 2022 following the retirement of longtime moderate Democratic Rep. Ron Kind.
Cook, a political strategist and part-time waitress, focuses her platform on health care, labor unions, abortion and rural issues.
Van Orden has been clear about his position on illegal immigration and border security.
The congressman visited the border to highlight border issues after a suspected member of Torren de Aragua allegedly assaulted a mother and daughter in her hometown of Prairie du Chien, raising awareness nationwide about immigration crime. spotlight.
It is even harder to clarify the positions of Democratic opponents on these issues.
Cook’s website does not mention immigration on her list of priorities. But in recent ads, her talking points have been carefully tailored to appeal to voters “somewhere in the middle.”
Mr. Cook is literally standing in the middle of the road on his family’s farm and defining himself on the fly, hammering out the promises of a Goldilocks platform.
“I will stand up to Democrats to secure our borders and stop wasteful spending,” she said, before vowing to also stand up to “extremists like Derrick Van Orden.”
Mr. Van Orden, known for his temper, has received more moderate votes than some of the Wisconsin Republicans. CQ-Roll Call, Inc (via Getty Images)
A new Marquette Law School poll of registered voters in Wisconsin found that Democrats (1%) compared with independents (6%) ranked immigration and border security as the least important issue to them. and Republicans (31%).
Mr. Cook’s moderate stance on border security may signal that he hopes to capture Republican votes in rural districts, where Mr. Cook’s Partisan Voter Index rates R+4. .
More than 10,000 undocumented immigrant workers make up an estimated 70% of the workforce on Wisconsin’s approximately 5,500 dairy farms, according to an April 2023 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Graduate School of Labor.
Cook grew up on his family’s farm in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in the 3rd Congressional District. rebecca cook
During the hotly contested Democratic primary earlier this year, Cook participated in a Zoom panel discussion with other candidates for the December 2023 Wisconsin primary sponsored by Citizens Action.
In answering community questions about immigration, Cook used the opportunity to differentiate himself from the Republican incumbent.
She characterized herself as a “supporter of DACA and supporter of the American Dream and Promise Act,” citing the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and the granting of permanent residency to certain undocumented immigrants who subsequently entered the country. He referred to the legislation introduced in 2021 to give the right. to the country as a minor.
“It’s not true that people like Derrick Van Orden, who campaigned to protect our borders and contributed so much to the economy and economy of the United States, without any regard for the impact on the communities and people who already live in the United States.” It’s a stark contrast to this person and our entire community,” Cook continued.
Van Orden appears with Trump and Vance when they hold rallies in their districts. AP
The newspaper contacted Mr. Cook and Mr. Van Orden to ask about the details of their immigration policies and their different approaches to the border.
Cook’s response lacked specifics on border security beyond calling for more Border Patrol agents and reiterated his position on immigrants brought to the United States as children.
“We can do both,” Cook said in a statement to the Post. “We can secure our borders and keep law-abiding immigrants brought here as children in this country. I support more border officers and border security, but this We need someone in Congress to fix Washington’s broken immigration system.”
Vice President Harris will hold a rally Thursday in La Crosse, 3rd Congressional District. rebecca cook
Rep. Van Orden attacked Cook on a number of fronts, including his efforts to address immigrant labor issues.
“The two big differences between Mr. Cook and me are that I always put the safety of my fellow citizens first, and that I have proven myself by serving as a Navy SEAL in multiple combat zones for decades. We are here,” the Republican said in a statement to the Post.
“The last difference is that Mr. Cook is bipartisan. I am a member of the bipartisan Farm Labor Task Force in Congress, working diligently to fix the problems of our broken immigrant labor system, especially the H-2A program. “We have been working hard,” the statement continued.
Although Cook portrays Van Orden as an extreme figure, the former Navy SEAL insists that Cook is not the political outsider she claims to be. Getty Images
“We can simultaneously ensure the security of our borders and the economic stability of our job market. All we need is the will and the means to do so. I have both, Cook does not. .”
Currently, the H-2A program legally allows foreign nationals to work in temporary agricultural jobs as long as they meet certain regulatory requirements.
The most recent poll for the 3rd District race is from late September and is conducted by the Republican-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund. The poll shows Mr. Van Orden leading Mr. Cook by five points, 49% to 44%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%. A Democratic-leaning House Majority PAC poll conducted Sept. 8-10 found Cook leading Van Orden 49% to 47%.
