U.S. Sen. Slotkin campaigns in Eau Claire for Cooke

Yahoo

14 hours ago

EAU CLAIRE — As a U.S. Senator who has a background working for the CIA and the Department of Defense, Elisa Slotkin was disappointed in how President Donald Trump greeted Russia leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
'It's just hard to watch the president of the greatest country in the world roll out the red carpet for an avowed dictator,' Slotkin said during a stop in Eau Claire on Monday.
Slotkin (D-Michigan) said Putin is just 'stringing along' Trump and he has no interest in ending the war with Ukraine.
'They think they can play Trump like a fiddle,' she said of the Russians.
Slotkin, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, won an open seat to the U.S. Senate last fall, winning by just 21,000 votes statewide. She was given the key slot of offering the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union speech earlier this year. Slotkin said this trip to Eau Claire was the first time she's campaigned for a candidate not from her state, but she came here to throw her support behind Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat who is running for Congress.
'What I like about [Cooke] is she's not afraid to talk to anybody,' Slotkin said. 'She understands the role of a representative.'
Cooke is among three Democrats running for the Third Congressional District seat, currently held by Republican Derrick Van Orden of Prairie du Chien. Also running are Eau Claire Council President Emily Berge and Laura Benjamin, a former Eau Claire councilmember. Van Orden defeated Cooke last fall with 51.4% of the vote to Cooke's 48.6%. He won 16 of the 19 counties that are part of the district, which includes the cities of Eau Claire and La Crosse.
Slotkin had a notable exchange earlier this year in a Senate hearing where she questioned Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about if he would order the military to shoot at civilians. Slotkin said that discussion is fresh on her mind with the announcement that the National Guard is sending troops to Washington D.C.
'It's very relevant,' she said of the exchange with Hegseth. 'We have to see [the activation of the National Guard] for what it is — it's a distraction. Trump wants to look tough. The deployment of military troops in our streets should be one of the most rare things we do. And we know that Mr. Hegseth has authorized these troops to carry weapons.'
During her speech at the Oxbow Hotel, Slotkin urged Democrats to go on offense more, and she would like to see more party leadership from the Midwest.
'You cannot win a single game just by playing defense,' Slotkin said. 'We need to have our own affirmative, positive plan.'
Slotkin elaborated about her belief that the biggest threat to the United States is 'the shrinking middle class,' and that people cannot afford to buy homes or provide for their families like their parents did before them.
'We know what happens when people feel cornered — they lash out,' she said. 'We have a housing crisis going on. The ability to buy that first home is slipping out of reach.'
Slotkin also criticized the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is now estimated to grow the national debt by more than $4 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The measure includes cuts to Medicaid. Because of the changes, she contends that everyone is at risk of either losing their health care, or having their health care costs go up.
Slotkin, who served three tours in Iraq, took some shots at Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL.
'He has served and he knows better,' Slotkin said. 'He's taken an oath to the constitution, and not to a king.'
Campaigning picks up
'I'm really grateful to have the support of our Midwest neighbor, Senator Slotkin,' Cooke said.
Cooke has other well-known elected leaders slated to come to the area to campaign for her. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sander (I-Vermont) will appear with Cooke this Saturday in Viroqua.
'Last fall, we almost flipped this seat,' Cooke told the 60 supporters at Monday's event. 'We out-performed every Democrat on the ticket, and we did that by uniting voters of all stripes.'
Cooke spoke about the recent county fairs and small town events she's attended since announcing her candidacy earlier this year.
'We spend a lot of time showing up in rural communities that skewer more red [Republican],' she said. 'It's about meeting voters where they are at.'
Cooke said she is hearing from farmers and families who are concerned about tariffs and the impacts of the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, adding that '30,000 people in this district will lose their health care coverage because of that bill.'
Zach Bannon, NRCC spokesman, was critical of Sanders coming to Wisconsin to campaign with Cooke.
'Three-time certified loser and Bernie-backed Democrat political operative Rebecca Cooke isn't fooling anyone,' Bannon wrote in a press release. 'Wisconsin families deserve a representative who'll stand up to the socialist fringe, not one who's busy booking their next speaking slot.'