Eau Claire nonprofit leader Rebecca Cooke will face U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, after securing victory today in a contentious Dem primary for western Wisconsin’s 3rd CD.
With 88% reporting, Cooke had 49% of the vote compared to 42.11% for state Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, and 8.89% for Eau Claire mortgage loan officer Eric Wilson.
Cooke and Shankland spent the final days of the campaign sparring over outside spending, though outside groups spent money backing both of their campaigns.
Shankland took the first paid media dig at Cooke with an ad suggesting her rival wasn’t qualified for Congress because she’d never held elected office or passed a bill.
After that, New Democrat Majority PAC dropped $150,800 on an ad saying Shankland is “working for Republicans, not you,” prompting Shankland and her supporters to blast Cooke and the group for “dark money” spending, arguing such investments undermine democracy.
Then a Washington, D.C.-based Leaders We Deserve, co-founded by anti-gun violence activist David Hogg, spent $194,000 on an ad supporting Shankland, which Cooke’s campaign suggested was hypocritical.
On top of that, an outside organization with a Chicago address, The Strategy Group LLC, which has yet to register with the FEC, spent $36,326 on mail backing Shankland leading up to the primary.
Cooke’s campaign had a fundraising advantage over Shankland’s, although that didn’t translate to a significant leg up on the air.
Cooke had raised $2 million for the cycle and still had $590,563 in the bank at the close of the pre-primary period, while Shankland had raised $867,512 through the end of the pre-primary period July 23 and was left with $222,008 in the bank.
According to AdImpact, Cooke had $874,796 in reservations through today, compared to $819,030 for Shankland.
Source link
