Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024

2026 → ← 2022
Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 3, 2024
Primary: August 13, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Wisconsin
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Lean Republican Inside Elections: Tilt Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th Wisconsin elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R) defeated Rebecca Cooke (D) in the general election for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District on Nov. 5, 2024. Click here for detailed results.

Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin's Charlotte Scott wrote, "voters in this district aren't afraid to ticket split." In 2016 and 2020, district voters re-elected Ron Kind (D), who represented the district from 1997 to 2023. Former President Donald Trump (R) won the district in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. In 2022, Gov. Tony Evers (D) won the district in that year's gubernatorial race, while U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R) won in that year's senate race.

Van Orden was elected to the district in 2022, defeating Brad Pfaff (D), 51.8% to 48.1%. He ran unsuccessfully in 2020, losing to Kind 51.3% to 48.6%. Van Orden served in the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 2014. Following his military service, he owned a restaurant called The Butternut Cafe and worked as a consultant in the private sector. He also previously acted in movies and wrote a book.

Van Orden described himself as "a Salty Navy SEAL combat vet that has spent the last two years fighting for our families, businessowners, farmers and workers." Additionally, he said, "If people look at my record and they understand how many hours we put in to craft very solid, very solid legislation to help out the 3rd, then they should be voting for me."

At the time of the election, Cooke was the founder of The Red Letter Grant, which she said was an organization "that supports women entrepreneurs throughout ten counties in western Wisconsin." She also operated an Airbnb business and worked at a local restaurant. Cooke previously served on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. She ran unsuccessfully in the district's 2022 Democratic primary, losing to Pfaff 38.9% to 31.1%.

Cooke said her priorities were "increasing health care access and affordability," "creating an economy built for working families," and "protecting reproductive healthcare freedoms." She said she decided to run for Congress because "I really feel like Washington has left us behind, and it's ran by insiders and elites on both sides of the aisle. And we need someone with fresh perspectives and real world experiences to fight for us in D.C."

According to University of Wisconsin Professor Anthony Chergosky, "In a sense, Cooke and Van Orden are political opposites, but they both do tout that outsider brand, and I think that's the one parallel between Cooke and Van Orden is that their theory of the electorate is that voters reward outsiders."

PBS Wisconsin's Nathan Denzin wrote that the district "encompasses most of western and parts of central Wisconsin, is the most purple district in a purple state—every vote is up for grabs." Both candidates talked about their willingness to be bipartisan in Congress. On his congressional record, Van Orden said, "I do things that make sense. Regardless of affiliation to a political party." Cooke said that part of her campaign strategy was to visit every county in the district: "No community is too small or too red for us to show up and listen."

Based on third-quarter reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Van Orden raised $6.6 million and spent $5.8 million, and Cooke raised $5.3 million and spent $4.9 million. To review campaign finance figures in full detail, click here.

Before the election, four major election forecasters differed in their ratings for the general election, with three rating it Lean Republican and one rating it Tilt Republican.

The primary was August 6, 2024. The filing deadline was April 23, 2024.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies. As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215. To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 51.8%-48.1%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 51.5%-46.8%.

Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District was one of 34 congressional districts with a Republican incumbent or an open seat that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) targeted in 2024. To read about DCCC targeting initiatives, click here. For a complete list of DCCC targeted districts, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Republican primary)
• Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Democratic primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Derrick Van Orden defeated Rebecca Cooke in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden (R)	51.3	212,064
		Rebecca Cooke (D)	48.6	200,808
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	309

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 413,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rustin Provance (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Rebecca Cooke defeated Katrina Shankland and Eric Wilson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca Cooke	50.5	42,316
		Katrina Shankland	41.6	34,812
		Eric Wilson	7.9	6,624
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	24

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,776
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tara Johnson (D)
• Aaron Nytes (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Derrick Van Orden advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden	99.6	52,533
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	211

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,744
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Wisconsin

Election information in Wisconsin: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 16, 2024
• Online: Oct. 16, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2024
• By mail: Received by Oct. 31, 2024
• Online: Oct. 31, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 22, 2024 to Nov. 3, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CST)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Derrick Van Orden

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• U.S. House of Representatives, Wisconsin District 3 (Assumed office: 2023)
  

Biography:  Van Orden received a bachelor's degree from Excelsior University. From 1988 to 2014, he served in the U.S. Navy. Van Orden's professional experience included owning a restaurant called The Butternut Cafe, working as a consultant in the private sector, and acting in movies.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Van Orden said he would work "to cut red tape at the [Department of Veterans Affairs], making treatment for physical and mental scars more accessible for veterans."

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On the economy, Van Orden said he would "work tirelessly to stop Democrat tax hikes and make sure more of your hard earned money remains where it should be: in your pocket."

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Van Orden said he would be "committed to working on behalf of farmers" and be "a leading voice for Wisconsin's dairy industry."

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On border security, Van Orden said, "We must regain control of our borders to keep our nation safe."

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Show sources

Sources: Derrick Van Orden campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 5, 2024; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Derrick Van Orden," accessed September 5, 2024; Derrick Van Orden campaign website, "About," accessed September 5, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 in 2024.

Rebecca Cooke

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "A small business owner, nonprofit leader and waitress, I have focused my career on building community and serving others. Born and raised on an Eau Claire dairy farm and appointed by Governor Tony Evers to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, I know the economic and social challenges facing the small towns and rural communities for which I’ve fiercely advocated for, from the kitchen table to the board room. I worked my way through college with the help of Pell Grants, local scholarships, financial aid, and multiple jobs. After helping elect changemakers to public office, I came home to Eau Claire to start a small business and a nonprofit that provides start-up capital and hands-on education for women-owned businesses throughout ten counties in western Wisconsin. Now, I am running for Congress to better serve communities across Wisconsin, put people first and provide more opportunities for success, and be a relentless fighter for our way of life."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Increasing Health Care Access and Affordability

---

Creating an Economy Built for Working Families

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Protecting Reproductive Healthcare Freedoms

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

Increasing Health Care Access and Affordability

Creating an Economy Built for Working Families

Protecting Reproductive Healthcare Freedoms

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

I am running for Congress to better serve communities across Wisconsin, put people first and provide more opportunities for success, and will be a relentless fighter for our way of life.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

The late Senator Paul Wellstone. He embodied rural populism and crafted policy that met the moment with a laser focus on delivering for working families, our rural communities, and small businesses which power our economies.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

My lived experiences are what uniquely suit me to serve in office. We have too many elitists in Congress, and not enough working folks that have lived the struggles that everyday people face making ends meet. Even while I am running for Congress, I waitress three days a week and run my non-profit Red Letter Grant which supports and empowers women entrepreneurs throughout 18 counties here in West Central Wisconsin by awarding start-up capital. To date, we’ve helped over 50 small businesses launch in rural communities throughout the last seven years. I understand the needs of my community and working class folks because that is my lived experience.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

I believe that the core responsibilities of a member of Congress are to enact effective and pragmatic legislation which addresses the material needs of the constituents they represent, and to be a responsive advocate for specific casework needs with federal agencies and other institutions.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

My campaign has been endorsed by over two dozen local small business owners, multiple local elected officials, the House Blue Dogs Coalition, the New Democrats Coalition, Communication Workers of America – District 4, WelcomePAC, Congresswoman Sharice Davids, Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp-Perez, Congressman Mike Thompson, Congressmen Jared Golden, Defend the Vote, and Tomorrow’s Jobs.

What committees interest you?

Rebecca Cooke (D)

I’d like to serve on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Agriculture Committee. Growing up on a dairy farm and having run multiple small businesses, I can bring those experiences to the decision making table to advocate for family farms and mainstreets. For too long large agricultural conglomerates and large corporations have been price gouging consumers and leveraging their market share to engage in anti-competitive practices. It is past time that we had a Congress actively engaged in reducing the power of corporate monopolies and delivering for small businesses, working families, and small and midsize farms.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Derrick Van Orden

October 28, 2024

September 20, 2024

September 6, 2024

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Rebecca Cooke

September 23, 2024

September 23, 2024

July 29, 2024

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Likely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

• Rebecca Cooke

Election spending

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Derrick Van Orden	Republican Party	$7,658,527	$7,319,385	$516,806	As of December 31, 2024
Rebecca Cooke	Democratic Party	$6,358,059	$6,347,919	$10,140	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.

Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate	By election
Derrick Van Orden Rebecca Cooke	Open Secrets Federal Election Commission

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	8	8	1	23	16	2	3	31.3%	0	0.0%
2022	8	8	1	22	16	1	5	37.5%	3	42.9%
2020	8	8	1	23	16	3	3	37.5%	1	14.3%
2018	8	8	1	25	16	3	3	37.5%	2	28.6%
2016	8	8	1	23	16	5	3	50.0%	4	57.1%
2014	8	8	1	27	16	3	5	50.0%	3	42.9%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Wisconsin in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 16, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Twenty-three candidates ran for Wisconsin’s eight U.S. House districts, including 11 Democrats and 12 Republicans. That’s an average of 2.88 candidates per district. There were 2.75 candidates per district in 2022, 2.88 candidates per district in 2020, and 3.13 candidates per district in 2018.

The 8th Congressional District was the only open district in Wisconsin in 2024. Since 2014, there has been one open district in Wisconsin in every election year.

The 8th Congressional District became vacant after former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R) resigned from Congress on April 19.

Two congressional districts—the 3rd and the 8th—were tied for the most candidates who ran for a district in Wisconsin in 2024. Four candidates ran in each district.

Five primaries—two Democratic and three Republican—were contested in 2024, the fewest in Wisconsin in the last 10 years. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 6.8 primaries were contested each election year.

No incumbents were in contested primaries in 2024, the fewest in Wisconsin in the last 10 years. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 2.6 incumbents ran in contested primaries.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all eight districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+4. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Wisconsin's 3rd the 195th most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Wisconsin's 3rd based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
46.8%	51.5%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
48.6	49.3	D+0.7

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2020

Wisconsin presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 15 Democratic wins
• 15 Republican wins
• 1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	P	R	D	D	D	R	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D

See also: Party control of Wisconsin state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Wisconsin's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Wisconsin
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	1	2	3
Republican	1	6	7
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	8	10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Wisconsin's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Wisconsin, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Tony Evers
Lieutenant Governor	Sara Rodriguez
Secretary of State	Sarah Godlewski
Attorney General	Josh Kaul

State legislature

Wisconsin State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	10
	Republican Party	22
	Other	0
	Vacancies	1
Total		33

Wisconsin State Assembly

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	35
	Republican Party	64
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		99

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2024
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Wisconsin in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Wisconsin, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Wisconsin	U.S. House	All candidates	1,000	N/A	6/3/2024	Source

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.

2022

See also: Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Derrick Van Orden defeated Brad Pfaff in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden (R)	51.8	164,743
		Brad Pfaff (D)	48.1	152,977
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	202

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 317,922
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rustin Provance (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Brad Pfaff defeated Rebecca Cooke, Deb McGrath, and Mark A. Neumann in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff	38.9	24,041
		Rebecca Cooke	31.1	19,221
		Deb McGrath	19.1	11,770
		Mark A. Neumann	10.8	6,672
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	25

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 61,729
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brett Knudsen (D)
• Justin Bradley (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Derrick Van Orden advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden	99.3	65,164
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	471

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,635
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Denise Hurless (R)

2020

See also: Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Ronald James Kind defeated Derrick Van Orden in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald James Kind (D)	51.3	199,870
		Derrick Van Orden (R)	48.6	189,524
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	224

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 389,618
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Ronald James Kind defeated Mark A. Neumann in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald James Kind	80.6	53,064
		Mark A. Neumann	19.4	12,765
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	12

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,841
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Justin Bonner (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Derrick Van Orden defeated Jessi Ebben in the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden	65.9	36,395
		Jessi Ebben	34.1	18,835
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	21

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,251
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tim Peters (R)
• John Garske (R)
• Kevin Ruscher (R)
• Jonathan Sundblom (R)
• Alex Virijevich (R)
• Brandon Cook (R)
• Shannon Moats (R)

2018

See also: Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Ronald James Kind defeated Steve Toft in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald James Kind (D)	59.7	187,888
		Steve Toft (R)	40.3	126,980

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 314,868
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Incumbent Ronald James Kind advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ronald James Kind	100.0	59,643

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 59,643
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Steve Toft advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Toft	100.0	35,768

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 35,768
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Alex Virijevich (R)
• Brandon Cook (R)

2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

• Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2024
• Minnesota's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Republican primary)
• United States Senate election in Ohio, 2024

See also

Wisconsin	2024 primaries	2024 U.S. Congress elections
Wisconsin congressional delegation Voting in Wisconsin Wisconsin elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Baldwin (D)

Ronald Johnson (R)

Representatives

District 1

Bryan Steil (R)

District 2

Mark Pocan (D)

District 3

Derrick Van Orden (R)

District 4

Gwen Moore (D)

District 5

Scott Fitzgerald (R)

District 6

Glenn Grothman (R)

District 7

Tom Tiffany (R)

District 8

Tony Wied (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (3)

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