Congressional candidate Cooke talks small business, economy during campaign stop

BOSCOBEL, Wis. (WMDX) — Rebecca Cooke, Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, sat in the front row at Boscobel City Hall as a small business owner voiced their concerns to the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

Cooke, who has frequently spoken about her work with small businesses and nonprofit organizations, includes a section titled “Keeping Main Streets Strong” on her campaign website.

The concerns brought up by the small business owner were simple enough: More support from the Chamber to keep business local rather than outsourcing to a regional or out-of-town company. Cooke, who spoke after the open comment section of the Boscobel Chamber of Commerce meeting, said one of her goals in Congress is to help provide support to rural economies.

“Throughout western Wisconsin, west-central Wisconsin, you’ll see a lot of Dollar Generals at the end of the road that have sort of replaced some of our Main Street businesses,” Cooke said. “It’s really those Main Street businesses that line it that create sustainable jobs and add to our overall quality of life in our communities.”

During her campaign, which is called the “19-County Tour” of the 3rd Congressional District, Cooke said she’s met with several small business owners and other community stakeholders in an effort to both show she will be available to people living in the district as well as get a first-hand perspective of local issues.

“I feel like it helps me understand in a really granular way some of the biggest issues that are making up parts of our rural communities and things that people are grappling with,” Cooke, who previously did a similar tour during her 2022 run, said. “I’m trying to demonstrate what kind of member of Congress I’ll be.”

Cooke is spending most of this week in southwestern Wisconsin, meeting with local organizations, business owners, and manufacturers. Using the example of a Crawford County meat processor, Cooke explained how federal policy and state laws interact to create additional burdens for rural business owners, in this case creating a near-monopoly to push out local processors.

In Congress, I'll work to enforce antitrust law to break up big ag and monopolistic companies with poor labor practices. I'll work to even the playing field to create more opportunities in the supply chain for mid-size processors to be able to compete. pic.twitter.com/RTxHqFB1eh

— Rebecca Cooke (@RebeccaforWI) May 13, 2026

The Democratic primary field for Congress in the 3rd District narrowed this week when Rodney Rave suspended his campaign and endorsed Emily Berge. Cooke praised Rave for his campaign and said she’s focused on the November election.

“Rodney ran a really spirited campaign,” Cooke said. “We’re keeping our eyes focused on November and what’s ahead of us, which is defeating Derrick Van Orden.”

In addition to the Farm Bill impacts, economic uncertainty, and health care, Cooke also discussed the advent of data centers in rural Wisconsin. The southwestern part of the state is no stranger to the data center debate, as plans to place one near Cassville, a small town along the Mississippi River, have led to massive community gatherings by people opposed to the efforts. Cooke said the issue can be summed up in two words: local control.

“It’s about making sure our local communities are armed with an understanding when folks are coming in trying to put these in, that they’re able to push back and make sure that they’re protecting ratepayers in the process,” Cooke said. “Those communities are making the best choice about whether that should be in their community or not, but they also know what they’re signing up for if they choose to do that.”

The issue is also one that isn’t going away any time soon.

“These are going to go somewhere, likely in Wisconsin, across the Midwest, across the country, because of AI and rapidly-moving technology in our world,” Cooke said. “It’s being strategic about where they go, and work with local municipalities for them to decide what’s best for their communities.”

Cooke’s “19-County Tour,” which began close to where she grew up in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties, has also had stops in Vernon, Crawford, and Grant counties, putting her about a quarter of the way through the tour.

The Democratic primary will be held on August 11, 2026. The 2026 General Election is on November 3, 2026. You can learn about how elections are conducted on the Wisconsin Elections Commission website.

To find out where to vote, how to register to vote, or to see upcoming election information, you can visit MyVote.wi.gov.