(The Center Square) – Third District Congressman Rep. Derrick Van Orden defeated Rebecca Cooke in a race that was called late Wednesday morning by multiple outlets.
Van Orden, the Republican incumbent, had 51.35% of the vote with 211,696 to Cooke’s 48.65% with 200,556 votes in the district that includes Eau Claire and areas south of the city and extending east toward Oshkosh.
Incumbents won seven of the eight U.S. House seats in Wisconsin as the Republicans hold a 6-2 advantage in the state.
Republican Tony Wied topped Democrat Kristin Lyerly in the 8th District to fill an empty seat held by Republican Mike Gallagher until his April 24 resignation. Wied received 57.3% of the vote to Lyerly’s 42.7%.
Republican incumbent Reps. Bryan Steil (1st District), Scott Fitzgerald (5th District), Glenn Grothman (6th District) and Tom Tiffany (7th District) won races along with Democratic incumbents Mark Pocan (2nd District) and Gwen Moore (4th District).
Pocan represents a district including Madison and Moore represents Milwaukee.
Van Orden went back and forth during the race but ultimately did not schedule a debate.
Van Orden recently testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee about the effects of illegal immigration on Wisconsin on a statewide scale.
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Van Orden fought back after Cooke incorrectly accused him of skipping a health care policy forum during the campaign.
The group organizing the forum, the Western Wisconsin Medical Society, called Cooke’s comments inaccurate and disappointing.