(WSAW) – With just one week until Election Day, a debate between Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden and Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke is highly unlikely. Candidates are vying for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District seat.

On October 17, Van Orden issued a press release stating that he had accepted an invitation from the Adams County Chamber following a debate invitation. However, no specific time or location has been released. Cooke had not confirmed the invitation.

On October 8, Rebecca Cooke issued the following press release.

Rebecca Cooke to Derrick Van Orden: Debates

EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin. — Today, Rebecca Cooke released the following statement regarding the debates in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District: “Representing the people means standing before them and answering questions about your record and what you want to achieve. In elections, this means debates, forums and community events where people can see the choices available to them and make a decision. “Unfortunately, voters in Wisconsin’s Third District did not see the candidates together for one simple reason: Derrick Van Orden avoided events where we would be together. This is the same Derrick Van Orden who refused to participate in the debates in 2022. This is a great disservice to voters who should expect more from their member of Congress. We should not be afraid to answer questions. Let’s have debates and have them on the issues that matter.

BACKGROUND: On October 7, Van Orden refused to participate in a health forum. The Western Wisconsin Medical Society hosted a forum to discuss the importance of access to health care, especially given recent hospital closures in the Chippewa Valley. Van Orden was invited and refused to participate.

On Tuesday, Rep. Van Orden released this statement on NewsChannel 7:

Cooke outright lied to everyone in the Third Congressional District when she was quoted on the front page of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram on Oct. 11, saying she would debate “any time, any place.” She refused to debate in her Democratic primary then and now refuses to debate with me because if the people of Wisconsin knew how much she lied about her past association with Defund the Police organizations, her campaign finances shady and her history as a political operative, she would never be elected. . His thirst for personal political power is exactly what everyone in Washington hates. I am very proud of the things we have accomplished on the Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees over the past two years and I ask for your vote to send me back to Washington to put America back on track. rails.

The article says in part:

EAU CLAIRE — Rebecca Cooke said she’s ready to debate her congressional opponent, Derrick Van Orden, “any time, any place.”

“I think it’s important to give voters an opportunity to hear from the candidates,” Cooke said Friday during a stop in Eau Claire.

Cooke, a Democrat from Eau Claire, is running for the 3rd Congressional District seat held by Van Orden, a Republican from Prairie Du Chien.

On Thursday, the UW-La Crosse Debate Coalition offered to host a debate between Cooke and Van Orden. Van Orden, who did not debate Democratic opponent Brad Pfaff in 2022, released a statement on the proposal.

“My campaign received a request from UW-La Crosse and its media partners to host a debate next week without any consultation or negotiation with my staff on the date, time, location, format or composition of the moderator group,” Van Orden wrote in a press release from his campaign issued Thursday evening. “This is completely unprofessional and not how my campaign is going to debate.” I look forward to educating the public about the lies my opponent has spread and his past as a political insider affiliated with the Defund the Police movement. My team will contact UW-La Crosse and see if we can come to an agreement regarding a debate.

Cooke said she saw nothing wrong with the way UW La Crosse proposed the debate, emphasizing that they were just trying to finalize a date before the Nov. 5 election.

“I don’t think there’s anything crazy about it,” Cooke said.

Cooke met with the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Although media were not allowed to attend the forum, she said it was a good discussion about how the region is handling the loss of two local hospitals and coping with rising costs .

“There were a lot of questions about the general economy,” she said.

Recent attack ads have questioned Cooke’s stance on gun rights. Cooke said she has fired guns before while hunting.

“Hunting and gaming are an integral part of our culture,” Cooke said. “Universal background checks don’t make hunters blink. Despite what people say, I’m not trying to take their guns away.”

Cooke endorsed increasing Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates and called for changes to the Farm Bill to help small farms. She noted that she is still a waitress and had to work Friday night, and she draws on her real-life experiences.

“We need more working class voices in Congress,” she said.

While rural areas are increasingly voting Republican, Cooke noted that she has been running for office for about three years; she lost the 2022 primary to Pfaff.

“I’m not afraid to talk to people who have different points of view than me,” she said. “I position myself as a very moderate Democrat.”

The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce is not endorsing the candidates. They held a similar forum with Van Orden a week ago. On Tuesday, Cooke’s campaign released the following statement to NewsChannel 7.

“We were happy to engage with the Adams County Chamber of Commerce and the UW-La Crosse debate coalition to try to find a time and format that would work for a debate with both candidates. Unfortunately, no such opportunity presented itself. At this point, with just days until the election, we are working to meet with voters wherever possible, including at a forum last night that Derrick Van Orden declined to attend,” said Alex Obolensky, Director countryside.

The 3rd Congressional District covers the central and western Wisconsin border as well as part of central Wisconsin, including the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point.

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