Latest news with #EauClaireCouncil
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former EC Councilmember, small business owner Benjamin announces candidacy for congress
EAU CLAIRE — Small business owner and former Eau Claire City Councilmember Laura Benjamin declared her candidacy for Wisconsin's Third Congressional District on Friday as a Democratic candidate. In addition to owning a small business, Satellite Six in Eau Claire, and formerly serving on the city council, Benjamin is also the creator of a YouTube channel named 'Laura for the People.' Benjamin is now the third candidate to announce for the Democratic campaign. Rebecca Cooke, who ran last year, and Eau Claire Council President Emily Berge, who announced her campaign on April 15, are also running. The seat is currently held by Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Prairie Du Chien), who was reelected last November. Van Orden has not formally announced his reelection campaign. A Democratic primary will be held in August 2026. 'I'm running because our district - and our country - deserves better than corporate giveaways, constitutional violations, and a representative who's asleep at the wheel while working families suffer,' said Benjamin in a press release announcing her candidacy. 'Derrick Van Orden has supported slashing the Department of Veterans Affairs, siding with corporate ag over family farms, and standing by while the current administration illegally kidnaps thousands of people. Enough is enough. We need a representative who fights for the people.' Benjamin's press release said her campaign focus would be on a "bold reform agenda," with the objective of getting money out of politics, restoring trust in government, protecting and expanding labor rights and delivering 'Medicare for all.' She also supports reforms in the Department of Education to lift up struggling schools rather than punish them and a push for tax reforms, the press release states. Her campaign will start with a town hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Brewing Projekt, 2000 N Oxford Ave, Eau Claire. Her campaign website is also set to go live on the same day, which can be found at 'There's a reason people feel abandoned by government – because they have been,' she said. 'I'm here to change that, and I'm building this campaign with working and diverse people, not corporate donors. That's why we're kicking things off by inviting the public to speak. Because it's time our leaders listened.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EC Council President Berge announces candidacy for Congress
EAU CLAIRE — Eau Claire Council President Emily Berge has announced she is running for Congress. 'People are just feeling left behind and frustrated, and they feel their current representative isn't listening to them,' Berge told the Leader-Telegram on Monday. 'I think it's time for a change. People want something different. I feel I can be the calm in the chaos, and the steadiness we don't have.' Berge, 45, will run as a Democrat for the Third Congressional District seat, currently held by U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien. Van Orden has not formally announced his reelection plans but he is expected to do so. Van Orden was elected in 2022 and re-elected last fall. Berge, a licensed professional counselor, was elected to the Eau Claire City Council in April 2018, defeating incumbent Tim Tewalt by a margin of 1,230 to 743. She became the Council's vice-president in 2023, then won the Council President position that year. Berge is the second Democratic candidate to file for the seat. Rebecca Cooke, who lost to Van Orden last fall, announced in February she will make her third run for the seat. Van Orden won with 51.4% of the vote to Cooke's 48.6%. Cooke also ran in 2022 but finished runner-up in the Democratic primary. Nationally, Democrats are looking at this seat as one they hope to flip in their attempt to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. In her tenure on the Eau Claire City Council, Berge said she's proud of how they have been welcoming to all, and seen the city grow at the same time population statewide has declined. 'People want to live in Eau Claire and be in Eau Claire,' she said. 'We've put a priority on quality of life. We've done a great job of being welcoming.' The Council also tackled how to move forward after the closure of HSHS Sacred Heart and other medical facilities. She also notes the way the city quickly worked to address PFAS in the water supply, saying they were open and transparent about the problem, and they have started working on a PFAS removal facility. 'I really believe in bringing people together and unifying people,' she said. 'I know people might disagree, but we have each other's back. I want to build this movement.' Berge has lived in Eau Claire for 24 years. She and her husband have two children. Berge has a master's degree in mental health counseling from UW-Stout and owns a private practice in Eau Claire. She previously ran for state Assembly in 2020 in a losing effort against Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, in the 68th Assembly District. James is now a state Senator. 'That was a completely different race; it was during the pandemic,' she recalled. But what she did like was going out and meeting the public. The Third Congressional District features all or parts of 19 counties, and Berge said she's eager to get out to the areas outside Eau Claire and start to meet the public. The press release announcing her candidacy said she has been endorsed by State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Town of Brunswick, attorney and former Assemblyman Dana Wachs, and Eau Claire County Board Chairwoman Nancy Coffey. Tim Nordin, Eau Claire Area School Board president, also announced his endorsement. 'Emily Berge shows up, especially when it's hard,' Nordin wrote in a press release. 'When some tried to push hateful, divisive rhetoric that suggested not everyone belonged in Eau Claire, Emily Berge stood firm. She stands for a Wisconsin where each child has what they need to learn, grow and thrive. I trust her to represent our district in Congress with the same courage and strength she's shown here at home.' A website dubbed is slated to go live today.
