Update: Mandela Barnes has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for governor (July 30, 2026) →
BadgerBrief

Federal · Primary August 11, 2026

Who is running for U.S. House of Representatives — Wisconsin District 3 in 2026?

3 candidates are running.

Why this race matters

Western Wisconsin including La Crosse and Eau Claire areas

What do the party and ideology labels mean?

On the ballot, partisan candidates run under a party — in Wisconsin almost always Democratic or Republican, with the occasional third-party or independent candidate. Words like progressive, conservative, libertarian, or democratic socialist are labels people use to describe themselves, not separate parties on the ballot. A label is a starting point; each candidate's sourced positions show where they actually stand.

How we do this →

Republican primary

Democratic primary

Who has raised the most money?

CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handThrough
Derrick Van Orden$7,526,052$3,365,829$4,677,0292026-07-22

Federal data: FEC. State data: WI Ethics Commission Sunshine (non-commercial voter education use).

Ad money in this race

Who is paying to influence this race — supporting or attacking each candidate, and how much is a candidate's own committee vs. outside groups. Spend and reach are platform-disclosed ranges; figures are estimated midpoints. This shows pressure, not who wins.

Rebecca Cooke

$59k

Supporting

$149

Attacking

1.9M

Reach

$59k own committee · $149 outside (estimated)

Derrick Van Orden

$40k

Supporting

$297

Attacking

95k

Reach

$40k own committee · $297 outside (estimated)

Emily Berge

$2k

Supporting

$0

Attacking

132k

Reach

$2k own committee · $0 outside (estimated)

Who's paying. $101k in tracked ads. Derrick Van Orden is the most-attacked candidate here.

Last updated: