Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Wisconsin's third district, disclosed receiving payments exceeding $5,000 each from two left-leaning organizations with financial ties to George Soros' Open Society Foundation. The personal financial disclosure was released two days after the Aug. 13 primary election.
Cooke has positioned herself as a working-class outsider, highlighting her experience as a waitress, small-business owner and nonprofit leader raised on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin.
What the Left Is Saying
Third Way confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Cooke received $30,000 for 'a project focused on elevating the voices and concerns of working-class Americans that have too often been missing from the rooms where decisions are made.' The organization emphasized its commitment to representing communities often overlooked in policy discussions.
The Pipeline Fund provided a statement confirming Cooke worked as a contractor in 2025. 'We can confirm Rebecca Cooke worked as a contractor for The Pipeline Fund in 2025 to help advance our mission of building a reflective democracy where working-class people, women, people of color, and other underrepresented communities are fully supported to run for office and advance the needs of their communities,' the organization said.
Third Way Institute, the 501(c) research arm of Third Way, stated that funds were used 'to support charitable and educational work on economic, national security, energy and social policy issues.' According to IRS-derived grant records, the Foundation to Promote Open Society awarded $500,000 grants to the Third Way Institute in both 2023 and 2024.
What the Right Is Saying
The National Republican Congressional Committee criticized Cooke's connection to the organizations. 'Radical Rebecca Cooke is a paid political operative for far-left liberals and wants to push their socialist agenda,' NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. 'Commie Cooke may fit in at [a] Soros-funded consulting firm, but she is far too extreme to represent western Wisconsin.'
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., the incumbent whom Cooke would face if elected, blasted the delayed release of her financial records. He said the delay 'tells voters all they need to know' about the candidate.
Republican critics have noted that Cooke's personal financial disclosure was not released until two days after the primary, following an extension she requested from the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in April. All candidates who spend or raise more than $5,000 for a House race must submit such disclosures 30 days before an election.
What the Numbers Show
Cooke's financial disclosure forms report that she received more than $5,000 from each organization but do not specify exact amounts. Third Way confirmed the total payment was $30,000.
The Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund in 2024, according to tax records. It also received approximately $2.26 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in the same year.
The Open Society network awarded $1 million to Third Way's nonprofit research arm between 2023 and 2024. In 2024, Third Way Institute transferred $21.9 million to Third Way, accounting for roughly 98% of its total spending that year.
George Soros has donated more than $32 billion of his personal fortune to the Open Society Foundations network, which has been overseen by his son Alex Soros since 2022.
The Bottom Line
Cooke's disclosure reveals payments from organizations with established financial relationships to the Soros philanthropy network, though neither organization is accused of any wrongdoing. The timing of her disclosure, released after the primary election following a requested extension, has become a point of contention for Republican critics.
Cooke will face Rep. Van Orden in November's general election. Her campaign has not yet issued a public statement responding to the NRCC criticism. Voters in Wisconsin's third district will decide the race this fall.