Wisconsin Democratic 8th Congressional candidate Rebecca Cook - Photo by Rebecca For Wisconsin
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) – As voters get set to go to the polls on Tuesday, Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district, is facing criticism following a recent financial disclosure that found that she had worked at one of the small businesses that received funding from her nonprofit organization.
According to the New York Post, Cooke founded the nonprofit Red Letter Grant to “support and empower female entrepreneurs, which awards $2,000 startup grants to women-owned businesses,” while also working at The Good Wives restaurant, which received a $2,000 grant from the nonprofit in 2022, according to the 2023 financial disclosure.
The report further revealed that in 2022, Cooke received $18,000 from the Red Letter Grant in addition to $2,256 from her part-time job as a waiter at The Good Wives. In 2023, she also disclosed receiving money from the restaurant and the NGO.
When asked for comment by The Post, National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said Cooke needs to be transparent with Wisconsin voters: “Rebecca Cooke is a sleazy political activist only looking out for herself. Cooke is desperately trying to hide the fact that she has spent her career electing radical leftists, and now she’s making shady deals for her own personal gain. She must answer these allegations and be honest with Wisconsin voters.”
Cooke declined to provide the outlet with a comment on the matter, as recent polling from Five Thirty-Eight shows Trump-endorsed incumbent Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden ahead of Cooke by four percentage points statewide, and she hopes Wisconsin Democrats select her over opponents State Rep. Katrina Shankland and Eric Wilson to advance to the general election in November.
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