Small-business strains shape Wisconsin contest between Cooke and Van Orden
Original report:
Small-business owners’ accounts of falling sales, tariffs and rising healthcare costs featured prominently in Wisconsin’s third district race. The Guardian’s November 2026 report examined Democrat Rebecca Cooke’s economic pitch against Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden’s defense of Donald Trump.
Affordability pressures were central to Wisconsin’s third congressional district contest, the Guardian reported on 3 November 2026. Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke emphasized her farming, retail and restaurant experience, while Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden defended Donald Trump’s record. Local business owners described weaker spending, tariff costs and increasingly expensive health coverage.
In Eau Claire, Erin Klaus planned to close her artisan storefront, Tangled Up in Hue, at year’s end after 18 years, while retaining other operations. Cooke proposed extending expired Affordable Care Act subsidies and creating a public healthcare option. The report also noted that Van Orden had voted to extend the subsidies, despite his broader alignment with Trump.
The district’s voting history helps explain the stakes: Democrat Ron Kind held the seat for more than two decades before Van Orden’s 2022 victory, while its voters backed Trump three times. The business owners’ accounts illustrate economic grievances in a competitive constituency, but do not establish how broadly those views were shared.
Source
the Guardian — 3 November 2026
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