Opportunity Wisconsin launched a new digital ad that is critical of U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Prairie du Chien) for allegedly siding with big corporations rather than farmers. The ad will run on digital platforms across the 3rd CD and are part of a previously announced seven-figure buy.

Watch the ad here.

State Rep. Katrina Shankland’s (D) campaign for the third Congressional District released poll results that revealed she is faring better against U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) than her primary opponent Rebecca Cooke. The poll found Rep. Van Orden at 48.7% and Shankland at 46.5% after the respondents were read bios on the two candidates, while Rep. Van Orden was at 50.4% compared to 44.5% when paired with Ms. Cooke. After receiving a series of critical messages about Rep. Van Orden, 47.8% backed state Rep. Shankland to 46.3% who favored Rep. Van Orden, while 46.9% supported Rep. Van Orden compared to 46% for Ms. Cooke.

Blueprint Polling surveyed 326 likely general election voters Feb. 2-4. The margin of error is +/- 5.43 percentage points. The poll was conducted using automated calls to landlines and text messages to cell phones and was weighted by age, ethnicity and gender. FiveThirtyEight rates Blueprint Polling 2.3 stars out of 3 stars.

Non-profit leader Rebecca Cooke announced she raised $325,000 in the fourth quarter for her campaign for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Her campaign reports more than $725,000 raised since joining the race in July. In 2022, she raised $486,146 in 10 months between announcing her bid and finishing second in the primary for the western Wisconsin seat. There were not any details announced regarding her cash on hand for the end of 2023. The other four Democratic candidates running to defeat U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) are former La Crosse County Board Chair Tara Johnson, state Rep. Katrina Shankland, and Eric Wilson. U.S. Rep. Van Orden finished the third quarter of 2023 with $1.4 million cash on hand.

The campaign of state Rep. Katrina Shankland, a Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District race, released a new poll this week showing half of likely Dem primary voters were still undecided in the race.

The poll of 360 likely Dem primary voters found:
21% supported Rebecca Cooke (Cooke previously ran for the 3rd CD Dem nomination in 2022)
18% support state Rep. Shankland
11% support former LaCrosse County Board Chair Tara Johnson
1% support Harvard University Student Aaron Nytes

The poll also found Rebecca Cooke had the most name ID in the district with 42% of respondents having some opinion of Ms. Cooke, compared to less than 30% for state Rep. Shankland and Ms. Johnson.

The poll was conducted by Blueprint Polling on October 20-23 using a combination of automated calls to landlines and text messages to cell phones. The margin of error is +/-5.16%. The results are weighted by age, ethnicity, gender, and education based on likely 2024 Democratic primary turnout. FiveThirtyEight rates Bluepoint a B/C pollster.

State Representative Katrina Shankland (D) announced her bid to join the 2024 race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. Rep. Shankland is the fourth candidate to enter the race for the Democratic nomination, joining Eau Claire nonprofit owner Rebecca Cooke, Harvard University student Adam Nytes, and former La Crosse County Board Supervisor Tara Johnson.

During her announcement, state Rep. Shankland referred to the incumbent 3rd CD representative, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R), as an extremist and said the district needs someone who is “battle tested” with a record of bipartisan accomplishments. “I was raised by public school teachers who taught me from a young age — don’t complain unless you’re going to do something about it. That’s exactly what I have done my entire career, deliver results for Wisconsin,” Rep. Shankland said. “I am running for Congress to bring some common sense to our nation’s capital.” She also said her decade of experience in the state Assembly differentiates her from the other Democratic candidates, “We need a candidate who is battle tested, who has a proven track record of not only winning elections but outperforming the top of the ticket in those elections,” Rep. Shankland told reporters. “In my last few campaigns, I’ve had people of all political ideologies endorsing me, because I’m known for working across the aisle to deliver results.”

Before her official announcement, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella was dismissive of Rep. Shankland’s potential bid. “Wisconsin Democrats are at the starting line of a chaotic race to the left. Whether it’s Katrina Shankland or any of the other wannabees, their eventual nominee will limp out of this primary bruised and broke,” Mr. Marinella said. Rep. Van Orden was last elected in 2022 with 51.8% of the vote, defeating his Democratic opponent Brad Pfaff by a margin of 3.7 percentage-points.

This week, former La Crosse County Board Supervisor Tara Johnson joined the 2024 race for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District to challenge U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden (R). Ms. Johnson is the third candidate seeking the Democratic nomination, joining Rebecca Cooke, a nonprofit owner from Eau Claire, and Adam Nytes, a Harvard University student moving to La Crosse in spring. State Representative Katrina Shankland is also currently considering joining the race and being the 4th candidate in the primary.

Ms. Johnson said she decided to launch a bid because the seat is “represented by an extremist who does not reflect the values of this district.” Ms. Johnson said she plans to focus on health care and reproductive rights as key matters while running. She is currently endorsed by Deb McGrath, a former Army and CIA officer who ran for the seat in 2022 and finished third in the Democratic primary. Ms. Johnson previously held a position on the La Crosse County Board of Supervisors from 2000-2020, including nine years as chairwoman. Since leaving the county board, Ms. Johnson has been a volunteer on the board of directors of the La Crosse Community Foundation, as well as the board of the La Crosse County Democrats.

Responding on Ms. Johnson’s campaign announcement, National Republican Campaign Committee Spokesman Will Reinert said “Extreme Democrat Tara Johnson is just another rubber stamp for Joe Biden and his inflationary agenda. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is working hard to lower inflation, protect our border and decrease gas prices. He will be re-elected resoundingly next fall.” Rep. Van Orden was last elected in 2022 with 51.8% of the vote, defeating his Democratic opponent Brad Pfaff by a margin of 3.7 percentage-points.