City Council President Emily Berge, a Democrat running for Derrick Van Orden’s congressional seat, railed against the Democratic “establishment” in a forum, accusing Democratic Party “bosses” and elites of trying to rig the 3rd congressional district’s Democratic primary for former leftist political operative Rebecca Cooke.
Berge is also calling on Cooke to release her financial filings before the Aug. 11 primary. Cooke, previously a liberal campaign operative for Kirk Bangstad, asked for an extension. The forms would reveal her income and assets.
#EauClaire City Council President Emily Berge, a Democrat running for Derrick Van Orden’s congressional seat, railed against the Democratic “establishment” tonight, accusing Democratic Party “bosses” and elites of trying to rig the 3rd congressional district’s Democratic primary… pic.twitter.com/rXHV1tBswg
— Wisconsin Right Now (@wisconsin_now) July 15, 2026
Basically, she accused Cooke of being a puppet for National Democratic elites who don’t want voters to choose.
“People behind closed doors states away, they don’t want you to have a voice or a choice, and that’s why I am running. That’s why I am running. It’s not about me. It’s about you all” she told voters.
“You all deserve a voice. They tried to take it away from you.”
Berge accused the Democratic elites of pressuring her to quit the primary so Cooke would win. “I feel the pressure of them every single day wanting me to drop, but I am not dropping,” she said. “The whole point of a primary is so party bosses don’t pick, right? The Democratic nominee. The 3rd congressional district is a swing district in a swing state.”
She said the “DC establishment and the insiders tried to take it away (voters’ power), but we’re not going to let them.”
She said the Democratic establishment wanted one person they could support, Cooke, and to make it “easy.”
