Dems look to win back 3rd Congressional District

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Three Democratic candidates made their pitch this evening for the 3rd Congressional District.

Eric Wilson, Rebecca Cooke and Katrina Shankland are looking to turn the 3rd Congressional District back to blue.

WEAU asked these candidates a number of questions, including why they decided to run for Congress, what they think of the district’s current representative Derrick Van Orden and what’s the biggest issue facing voters in the area.

“It’s health care. Hands down. It’s health care. We’re seeing the for-profit corporations and system fall apart. People don’t have access in rural areas. We saw here in Eau Claire, two hospitals and 19 clinics closed, and the only one in this race that’s fighting for Medicare for All because everyone deserves to have health care,” Wilson said.

“In addition to access and affordability, it’s taking on pharmaceutical companies that are price gouging consumers at every turn. My dad has cancer and he pays an $800 co-pay for a one-month supply of one drug and a $1,300 co-pay for one month’s supply of another drug. And we can’t have politicians that are just lining their pockets with special interest dollars. Many people that are really going to take those folks on,” Cooke shared.

Shankland explained, “Across the third, people not only care about access to affordable health care and lowering prescription drug costs, but they’re also talking about abortion, IVF and contraception. They’re very concerned about the diminishing of our freedoms that we’ve seen Republicans like Derrek Van Orden play a part in. And they’re also very concerned about our democracy.”

The primary on Aug. 13 will determine which of these Democratic candidates will challenge Republican incumbent Van Orden in the general election in November.

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