ICYMI: Wisconsin Democrats Are Pulling Candidates From the Loser Bracket

MADISON, WI - Oh, Wisconsin Democrats, bless your hearts! In a move that screams “we’re out of ideas,” the Dems have scraped the bottom of their loser bracket to trot out Randy Bryce and Rebecca Cooke for the 2026 congressional races in the 1st and 3rd Districts. Apparently, Wisconsin Democrats think retrying the same old players is an actual strategy. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Randy Bryce, the union ironworker from Caledonia who’s practically made a career out of losing elections, is back for his fifth swing at holding elected office. This guy’s got a rap sheet of defeats, having been steamrolled by Rep. Bryan Steil in 2018 and striking out in State Senate, an Assembly race, and School Board. Don’t forget his actual rap sheet with NINE arrests. Yet, here he is, dusting off his tired “working-class hero” routine to challenge Steil. Newsflash, Randy: voters in the 1st Congressional District already said “no thanks” to your record.

Then there’s Rebecca Cooke, who has been rejected twice in the 3rd Congressional District. Cooke flopped in the 2022 Democratic primary and got sent packing by Rep. Derrick Van Orden in 2024. Now she’s back for round three with her small-town waitress schtick, like it will change the outcome. Sorry, Rebecca, but voters aren’t buying what you’re serving.

The 1st Congressional District, a GOP stronghold since 1994, has stayed firmly red under Steil’s leadership, despite Democratic pipe dreams of flipping it. The 3rd Congressional District, once a Democratic safe haven under Ron Kind, has been in Van Orden’s corner since 2022. Bryce and Cooke might have name recognition, but it’s for all the wrong reasons—voters know them as the candidates who keep losing. Even Cooke’s $5.3 million war chest in 2024 couldn’t buy her a win, and Bryce’s labor union cheerleading hasn’t swayed the 1st District.

Wisconsin Republicans are ready to defend these seats with proven winners who deliver results, not excuses. Bryce and Cooke can keep swinging, but the GOP’s ready to hit these softballs out of the park in 2026.