Rebecca Cooke, the Democratic nominee seeking to unseat Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, reversed her position on federal conversion therapy legislation after facing criticism from progressive voters during multiple candidate forums ahead of the August primary.

Cooke, a former Democratic consultant and small business owner making her third bid for the seat, repeatedly declined to endorse a federal ban on conversion therapy at forums held in May and June. The practice involves mental health professionals offering talk therapy for individuals struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Wisconsin enacted a statewide conversion therapy ban in 2022, while Eau Claire, the largest city in Van Orden's district, prohibited the practice locally in 2018.

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive critics argued Cooke's initial positions betrayed LGBTQ voters she hoped to represent. Online criticism emerged after Cooke sidestepped questions about federal action against conversion therapy at a May forum in La Crosse, saying she preferred "local communities having control."

"I find it interesting that not in one, but TWO forums you said you would leave conversion therapy up to the states to decide," one Facebook user wrote. "That is not protecting the LGBTQ community."

Emily Berge, Cooke's primary challenger from the left and former Eau Claire City Council president who helped pass the city's local ban, was direct throughout her own remarks.

"As a therapist, conversion therapy has no place in our society, in our culture," Berge said at the June forum.

After facing backlash, Cooke posted a statement saying she supported a federal ban on conversion therapy, later clarifying at a July forum that "I do not support conversion therapy whatsoever." She attributed her initial responses to misunderstanding moderators' questions. The progressive Human Rights Campaign endorsed Cooke, with the group advocating for expanded LGBTQ protections including sex change procedures for minors.

What the Right Is Saying

Republicans seized on Cooke's reversal as evidence of political opportunism in a district that voted heavily for President Donald Trump in 2024.

Republican National Committee spokesman Hunter Lovell told Fox News Digital that Cooke was "desperate to appease the far-left woke mob."

"Rebecca Cooke is so desperate to appease the far-left woke mob that Wisconsin voters can't be sure where she actually stands," Lovell said. "She's trying to be one candidate for liberal activists and another for everyone else."

Van Orden's campaign argued Cooke was attempting to "portray herself as a moderate" while flip-flopping on key positions.

Cooke has also made the Equality Act, which would establish sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under federal civil rights law, a "centerpiece" of her campaign. The legislation has drawn Republican opposition over concerns about impacts on women's sports and single-sex spaces.

What the Numbers Show

President Trump carried Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District by more than seven percentage points in November 2024, according to results reported by state election officials.

Cooke lost to Van Orden in the general election by just under three percentage points, making it a competitive race in an otherwise Republican-leaning district.

Wisconsin's statewide conversion therapy ban took effect in August 2022. The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Colorado could not enforce its own state-level ban on conversion therapy over free speech concerns, complicating the legal landscape for such prohibitions.

The Equality Act has passed the House in previous Congresses but has not advanced in the Senate, where it would require 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles.

The Bottom Line

Cooke must first survive her August primary against Berge before facing Van Orden in November. Her reversal on conversion therapy illustrates the challenge Democratic candidates face in swing districts where they must appeal to both progressive primary voters and general election moderates. The race is being closely watched as one of dozens that will determine control of the House. Voters in the district, which backed Trump by a significant margin, will ultimately decide whether Cooke's policy pivot resonates or becomes a liability.