Berge Holds Rally in Eau Claire Ahead of Third District Primary

Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District Emily Berge held a rally in Eau Claire on Wednesday night.

The rally at Leona’s Pizzeria in downtown Eau Claire, dubbed Bergepalooza, came with less than two months to go until the Democratic primary election. Before speaking to the crowd of supporters, the former Eau Claire City Council President shared what she’s hearing from potential voters across the district about their most significant concerns right now.

“Healthcare, housing, AI comes up a lot especially when I talk to young folks,” she said. “Data centers are a really big topic especially down in the Driftless area. People do not like to see, just outside companies coming in and ruining their landscapes, is how they see it. There’s a lot of concern around that, but also just this consolidation of power and money at the very top.”

Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District is one of the most competitive races in the country. Razor-thin margins could amplify the effect of proposed legislation like the SAVE America Act, requiring voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship and photo ID to vote. Berge shared her thoughts on how that kind of legislation could impact a tightly contested race.

“It’s unpatriotic, I mean, we should make it easier for Americans to vote,” she said. “I mean that’s, we need to have automatic voter registration, we need to get rid of redistricting, you know, make sure that it’s easy for people to register and vote. And so we can not go the wrong way. Democracy is based on voting and making sure the people have a voice in who our elected leadership is.”

Berge will face off against the 2024 Democratic nominee Rebecca Cooke in the August primary election. The winner will look to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden in November.