Bernie Sanders dives into a key House battleground Trump carried in 2024 with a new endorsement

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Thursday announced his endorsement of Democrat Rebecca Cooke for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District — making a foray into one of a handful of districts that could decide the next House majority, which President Donald Trump carried by 7 points less than a year ago.“Rebecca is a working class fighter who developed her populist roots in rural Western Wisconsin.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Thursday announced his endorsement of Democrat Rebecca Cooke for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District — making a foray into one of a handful of districts that could decide the next House majority, which President Donald Trump carried by 7 points less than a year ago.

“Rebecca is a working class fighter who developed her populist roots in rural Western Wisconsin. A daughter of farmers, a waitress and a small business owner — she’s lived through failed policies from Washington elites and is ready to deliver tangible outcomes that working people will actually feel,” Sanders said in a statement shared first with NBC News.

Sanders’ endorsement brings renewed national attention to a race that Cooke lost by less than 3 percentage points last year as GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden earned a second term. And it also highlights a notable cross-section of support for Cooke — who has also been endorsed by the Blue Dog Democrats' PAC, a longtime supporter of party moderates — as Democrats in Washington and around the country review the party's policy platforms, personalities and coalitions after they suffered defeat to Trump in the 2024 election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 25, 2024.Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileCooke said in an interview that Sanders’ endorsement meant a lot to her because “Bernie really is no bulls---.”

“He’s been able to pass legislation in the fray of Washington while remaining really true to his core values that center around the working class, and his voice has never really wavered,” she said.