EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and WEAU are partnering to broadcast a candidate forum with Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional candidates, Rebecca Cooke and Representative Derrick Van Orden.

The forum will be held next Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, from 11 a.m. to Noon. WEAU will livestream the forum on our main channel and on weau.com.

WEAU’s Kim Leadholm and Political Analyst John Frank will moderate the forum.

Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Advocacy, Erica Bodden says it’s their mission to provide voter education ahead of the midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Erica says they worked for months to get Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden and Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke together to answer questions that matter most to voters in the 3rd Congressional District.

“They graciously agreed to meet and have a forum, have a conversation, policy, thoughtful, focused conversation on things that matter to voters in Wisconsin,” Bodden said. “To be able to compare and contrast the positions of both candidates on the issues in a fair and free way. That the decisions can be made not only for the good of west-central Wisconsin but the country,” John Frank, WEAU Political Analyst, said.

The candidates will have the opportunity to share their views on a variety of issues discussed with the Chamber’s Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

Frank says ultimately, it’s economic issues that voters are most concerned with.

“Inflation, agriculture, also concerned about issues that directly relate to the economy. Including healthcare, housing and general business issues. They are also very interested in property taxes because so much of business in Western Wisconsin relies on real estate and the taxes that you have to pay on property,” Frank said.