Rebecca Cooke

Helping Rural Communities

Rebecca Cooke is a small business owner and nonprofit leader, who grew up working on her family’s Eau Claire dairy farm. At a young age, she was helping her mom with chores and training calves for the fair. Early on, Cooke became a community advocate when as a middle schooler, she went before the school board and city council to advocate for  an underpass after her classmate was struck and killed by a car. Like many Wisconsin farm families, money was tight for Cooke’s family and her parents often had to work side jobs to put food on the table, which led to her deep understanding of the challenges of rural communities. Cooke attended the University St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota with the assistance of Pell Grants, local scholarships, and financial aid. While in college, she participated in work-study all four years for a nonprofit that supported low-income families. Cooke also participated in a social justice program and embodied the values of hard work that her parents taught her. Before returning home to Eau Claire, Cooke helped get Democrats elected to public office around the country.

Small Business Leader

Upon her return home, Cooke used her savings to open a small retail business — Red’s Mercantile — that sourced goods from independent makers locally and throughout the country. She was inspired to help other local entrepreneurs and in 2016, she founded the Red Letter Grant, a nonprofit that supports and empowers female entrepreneurs by providing start-up capital, technical assistance, and authentic networking opportunities throughout an 18 county region of western Wisconsin. The grant proved to be successful and has helped launch 50 women-owned businesses. Gov. Tony Evers recognized Cooke’s tenacity and leadership and appointed her to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, making her the youngest appointee. She was a vocal member of the Corporation and became co-chair of the newly formed Entrepreneurship & Innovation committee. Now, Cooke is running to bring that same commitment to serving others to Congress, where she will work to build a sustainable economy that benefits working families, strengthens our education system, and always protects our reproductive rights. 

Protect Our Rights: Flip it Blue

Rebecca Cooke is running for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Derrick Van Orden, an anti-abortion MAGA extremist, Jan. 6 rally attendee with close ties to Donald Trump. This seat is critical to win control of the House of Representatives. We stand with Cooke in this election as we work to flip this critical seat and ensure our fundamental freedoms are protected.