(The Center Square) – It once again looks like the race for Congress in western Wisconsin will be crowded.
Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge filed the paperwork to run against current Congressman Derrick Van Orden.
“It just seems like our current representative isn’t really listening or aware of the magnitude of the issues,” Berge said.
Berge is the second Democrat to jump into the race, though she may not be the last.
Rebecca Cooke, who ran against Van Orden last November and lost, has already said she’s running again next year. And there’s word that two or three other Democrats may jump into the race as well.
Berge told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that it’s time for a “new candidate,” adding that Cooke has lost twice in the race for the seat in the western part of the state.
“Democrats want a choice in this election,” Berge said. “They don’t want to be forced to vote for someone, especially someone that’s lost twice before.”
Berge is currently the head of Eau Claire’s city council. She was first elected to the council in 2018 and became council president in 2023.
“I’m running because our communities deserve better,” Berge said in her campaign statement. “The gap between what our communities need and what we’re getting from our current representation has never been wider.”
Western Wisconsin’s Third District is one of two possible swing districts in Wisconsin and is the one that got the most attention last year.
The 2024 Democratic primary for the seat saw $1.5 million in spending, with Cooke winning.
Van Orden went on to win the seat by about 2.5 points or about 12,000 votes.
