Latest news with #DerrickVanOrden
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sanders wades into battleground district with Wisconsin endorsement
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has endorsed Democrat Rebecca Cooke in her attempt for a rematch against Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) in a battleground Wisconsin district. Sanders said in a statement, first reported by NBC News, that he's supporting Cooke to represent Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District because she will 'stand up for working families and take on the greed of powerful special interests.' 'Rebecca is a working-class fighter who developed her populist roots in rural Western Wisconsin,' the senator continued. 'A daughter of farmers, a waitress and a small business owner — she's lived through failed policies from Washington elites and is ready to deliver tangible outcomes that working people will actually feel.' Cooke previously ran for the House seat twice, losing the Democratic nomination in 2022 before winning the primary last year. Democrats eyed Van Orden's seat as a possible pickup opportunity, and she narrowly lost to him by less than 3 points. She's now seeking to face him again in what the party hopes will be a stronger year for its prospects in 2026. Sanders said Cooke would be an ally to him in the House to enforce antitrust laws against monopolies, raise the minimum wage and expand Medicare. Cooke said she's 'honored' to receive Sanders's endorsement, calling him a 'champion for the working class.' 'He's spent his career fighting for the same values that drive our campaign here in Wisconsin's Third District: putting people over politics, taking on corporate greed, and building a future that works for everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected,' she said. Cooke faces a couple primary opponents but has notched a wide range of Democratic endorsements from progressives and moderates. That includes support from the Blue Dog PAC, which backs moderate Democrats, and EMILY's List. Updated at 11:48 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bernie Sanders dives into a key House battleground Trump carried in 2024 with a new endorsement
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Thursday announced his endorsement of Democrat Rebecca Cooke for Congress in Wisconsin's 3rd District — making a foray into one of a handful of districts that could decide the next House majority, which President Donald Trump carried by 7 points less than a year ago. 'Rebecca is a working class fighter who developed her populist roots in rural Western Wisconsin. A daughter of farmers, a waitress and a small business owner — she's lived through failed policies from Washington elites and is ready to deliver tangible outcomes that working people will actually feel,' Sanders said in a statement shared first with NBC News. Sanders' endorsement brings renewed national attention to a race that Cooke lost by less than 3 percentage points last year as GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden earned a second term. And it also highlights a notable cross-section of support for Cooke — who has also been endorsed by the Blue Dog Democrats' PAC, a longtime supporter of party moderates — as Democrats in Washington and around the country review the party's policy platforms, personalities and coalitions after they suffered defeat to Trump in the 2024 election. Cooke said in an interview that Sanders' endorsement meant a lot to her because 'Bernie really is no bulls---.' 'He's been able to pass legislation in the fray of Washington while remaining really true to his core values that center around the working class, and his voice has never really wavered,' she said. Cooke said she voted for Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary and has valued his authenticity ever since. 'Why wouldn't I seek support from someone like that in an era, kind of, where nothing feels authentic, when Bernie really is?' she added. Last year, Cooke campaigned on a message focused largely on the economy and ran ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in her district. She also ran with the support of the New Democrat Coalition and Blue Dog Democrats, two groups of moderate congressional Democrats who tout their support for bipartisanship and working across the aisle. The Blue Dog PAC endorsed her again this month. Sanders followers and some Blue Dog types have clashed over the years over policy and the direction of the Democratic Party. Cooke acknowledged that 'it could seem surprising, you know, to welcome an endorsement like that from Senator Sanders.' 'But I really think that it's important that we let go of purity tests in politics and that we stay disciplined on creating election wins,' she said, adding that in her campaign she hopes to shed the labels of 'moderate' or 'progressive' and gain support from a broad base of voters. 'I am a Blue Dog and a new Dem, but I'm also very progressive where it counts,' Cooke said. 'I don't like the labels and the boxes that kind of have been created, because immediately, you know, you're written off and 'othered' in your party because you're this or because you're that. And really, I'm just — I'm running because I'm for western Wisconsin, period.' Democrats need a net gain of at least three districts to retake a majority in the House in 2026. And Wisconsin's 3rd District is expected to be highly competitive again in 2026. It's one of just nine Republican-held House seats rated as toss-ups by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. As Cooke welcomes Sanders' support in a district Trump has carried three times, after Barack Obama and other Democratic presidential nominees carried it in previous elections, the Democratic Party is grappling with how to move forward from the 2024 election. Some Democrats — like Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts — have said Democrats alienated some voters in recent years by insisting that candidates agree with certain socially progressive norms and use 'woke' language that not all voters understand. 'We have to, you know, quit demonizing people along the political spectrum. Otherwise we're, we're never going to get there. We're never going to achieve the things that we want to get done," Cooke said. Sanders, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, kicked off a nationwide 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour this year, rallying with voters across the country and urging Democrats to fight Trump and his allies and to listen to voters' concerns about the economy. Sanders made several stops in Wisconsin, including in Eau Claire County, which is in the 3rd District. Sanders' endorsement statement praised Cooke as a potential "partner in Congress" who shares his goal of "building opportunities for the working class." "She will be an ally to me in the House as she works to enforce antitrust laws against corporate monopolies that have bankrupted family farms like hers, raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage and expand Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing," Sanders said in the statement. He has already thrown his support behind several other candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. They include Maine's former state Senate president Troy Jackson, who is running for governor; Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed; and Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who is challenging Rep. Shri Thanedar in the Democratic primary in a Detroit-area district. On Monday, Sanders also backed New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in next week's New York mayoral primary. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Green Bay Packers can't just change rules to win
While reading the story about U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden wanting to eliminate spring elections in Wisconsin because the GOP candidates keep losing, I couldn't help but think of the parallels between that story and the desire by the Packers to eliminate the tush push from NFL games ('Van Orden calls to end spring elections, May 23 and 'Packers' proposal fails, as 'tush push' stays,' May 22). Both have the same approach: Can't win? Don't work harder to find a way to win, just change the rules. Whether it's gerrymandering districts, eliminating the Government Accountability Board, changing voter ID requirements or attempting to make drop boxes illegal, it's clear the Wisconsin GOP will stop at nothing to keep or regain power. No buts about it. David Standridge, New Berlin Letters: Republican Party and President Trump are becoming our country's biggest bullies Opinion: Rising housing costs could be pricing people out of college in Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden wants to change the rules again ('Van Orden calls to end spring elections,' May 23). Instead, he should be changing his party's platform to match what the majority in Wisconsin wants. We've seen all sorts of underhanded tactics from the Republicans to keep their stranglehold on the state — gerrymandering, limiting the use of drop boxes and early voting and also limiting the governor's power. Van Orden and other leaders need to realize that the purpose of their position isn't about holding onto power, it's about serving others, and by others I mean everyone. David Mancl, West Allis Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state: Please include your name, street address and daytime phone. Generally, we limit letters to 200 words. Cite sources of where you found information or the article that prompted your letter. Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing. Avoid ad hominem attacks, take issue with a position, not a person. We cannot acknowledge receipt of submissions. We don't publish poetry, anonymous or open letters. Each writer is limited to one published letter every two months. All letters are subject to editing. Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: jsedit@ or submit using the form that can be found on the on the bottom of this page. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Van Orden's proposal to end spring elections is power grab | Letters
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP Congressman Says Trump's Tax Bill Doesn't Cut Any Medicaid, Food Benefits
WASHINGTON – Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) says Republicans aren't actually cutting anyone's federal health or food benefits in President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill — a plan that slashes $1 trillion from Medicaid and food assistance programs. 'I want to be super clear: When these Democrats have been lying to you, saying we're cutting Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP benefits, that we're going to cut all of these other programs — they're lying,' Van Orden said Thursday on a Wisconsin-based podcast, 'The Meg Ellefson Show' on WSAU. 'We did this early enough so that folks are going to understand that we're telling the truth. It's fantastic,' said Van Orden. 'I want anybody in my district to call me if their benefits have been dropped by a nickel. Not gonna happen.' It's not clear what the GOP congressman is talking about. Trump's hugely consequential tax and spending bill, which House Republicans passed Thursday and sent to the Senate, represents the largest upward transfer of wealth in U.S. history. It cuts $1 trillion from federal health and food programs to help pay for $4 trillion in new tax cuts to rich people. The effects of this bill, if it became law, would be devastating for millions of low-income people who rely on Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamps program. The bill would kick an estimated 8 million people off of health insurance, and its expanded work requirements for SNAP would result in an estimated 1.5 million families losing all food benefits and 1.2 million families losing some. Those numbers include an estimated 48,000 children who would lose food assistance entirely, and 1.5 million children who would get fewer benefits. In Van Orden's own community, Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, about 152,900 people — or 21% of the district — depend on Medicaid for health coverage, per an analysis by KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. Approximately 50,000 of the Medicaid enrollees in Van Orden's district are children, and 21,600 are seniors. More than 20,000 are people with disabilities. Nearly 1.3 million people in Van Orden's state are enrolled in Medicaid. Thousands of people in his district rely on SNAP benefits, too. The GOP tax bill puts about 8,000 adults in Van Orden's district at risk of losing all food assistance, and about 16,000 people at risk of losing at least some food benefits, per an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. These figures include thousands of people who live with school-aged children. A Van Orden spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Here's a link to the audio of Van Orden on the podcast. His comments about the GOP bill not cutting any benefits start around the 2:20 mark. In another Thursday interview on another MAGA-aligned podcast, 'The John Fredericks Show,' Van Orden celebrated the bill's passage and somehow claimed it was proof Republicans delivered on a campaign promise to protect federal health programs. 'We campaigned on protecting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, securing the border, making sure veterans have their benefits. We did it,' the Wisconsin Republican says around the 45-minute mark. 'We. Did. What. We. Campaigned on. And I'm so super stoked for being a part of this process.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Van Orden in favor of getting rid of Spring Elections
MADISON, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – In an interview with Wis-Eye, Congressman Derrick Van Orden says that he is in favor of getting rid of Wisconsin's Spring Election. Van Orden says Spring Elections are inefficient, waste money on campaigns, and they cause voter fatigue. Van Orden noted that Republicans do not vote in Spring Elections. He believes Spring Elections could be rolled into Midterms or Presidential Elections. 'Republicans don't vote. We just don't vote. Period. In Spring Elections. I don't think we should have a Spring election. I think we need to… these guys in the State House, I think they should get rid of that and fold it into a midterm or a four-year cycle.' This comes after Republican (GOP) backed candidates like Eric Hovde and Brad Schimel lost high-profile races in recent elections. Wisconsin's Spring Elections are currently required by the state's constitution and are written into state law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
