Wisconsin House Seat Flips After $4.6M Musk Spend

Democrat Rebecca Cooke secured a victory over Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd District, a race that drew heavy financial investment from both parties. Cooke announced at approximately 10:30 p.m. that Van Orden had called to concede the seat.

The contest featured a substantial influx of external funds. Elon Musk spent approximately $4.6 million to support Van Orden, according to October campaign finance reports. Multiple members of the Trump administration also visited the district to rally support for the incumbent.

Cooke campaigned heavily on economic affordability, citing high costs for rent, mortgages, and medical debt. She criticized the war in Iran for driving up fuel prices and blamed presidential tariffs for damaging local agricultural businesses. During her victory speech in Eau Claire, she described herself as being on a mission to lower gas prices and support farmers.

"This is a victory for all of us, for anyone who is struggling to pay your rent or your mortgage, drowning in medical debt, worrying if you’ll have to sell the farm," Cooke told supporters. "Help is coming."

Van Orden urged his base to accept the result and support the new representative. "It’s incumbent upon you to make sure that you understand that and that you support her," Van Orden said. "That’s who we are as Americans."

The district had been held by Democrats for more than 20 years, a streak ending with Van Orden's 2022 win. Prior to that, moderate Democrat Ron Kind represented the largely rural area. In the final weeks before the election, Cooke's campaign outperformed Van Orden in fundraising and spending, prompting the Cook Political Report to shift its rating to Lean Democrat.

Van Orden acknowledged the challenging political environment during a late October debate. He stated that the war in Iran was making the 2026 elections exponentially harder for Republicans seeking to hold congressional seats.