- Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke still waits tables in Eau Claire and says those restaurant conversations — and the supportive notes customers sometimes leave — help her connect with voters.
- Local farmers say a “fuel and fertilizer” crisis (diesel well above last year’s prices and many unable to afford fertilizer) plus cuts to food-purchase programs are hurting rural livelihoods.
- The race is a tight rematch: Cooke, a moderate and dairy‑farm daughter, hopes to unseat Republican Derrick Van Orden (a Trump ally), in a contest that could help decide control of Congress.
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