Third Democratic candidate announces congressional run

Although her formal campaign doesn’t start until next Tuesday, a third democratic congressional candidate said today she’s entering the race to defeat Rep. Derrick Van Orden.

Laura Benjamin, an Eau Claire business owner and former city council member, said she’s running for Congress in the 3rd District.

Paperwork was filed on Thursday with the Federal Elections Commission.

In a post on her Laura for the people Bluesky page, she said, “I’m running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. We deserve better than Derrick Van Orden. Not only has he supported big business over local ag and voted to cut VA programs, but he continues to enable the constitutional violations of the Trump administration. It’s time to take a stand.”

Benjamin begins on Tuesday, April 22 with a campaign kickoff event in Eau Claire.

She joins two other contenders for the democratic nomination for the seat.

Earlier this week, Eau Claire’s current City Council President, Emily Berge, said she’s campaigning to win the democratic nomination.

Rebecca Cooke announced her candidacy in March. She lost to Van Orden in November 2024.

Filings with the Federal Elections Commission show that in reports from the end of March, Cooke had $960,000 in cash on hand while Rep. Van Orden held just under $1.2 million.

The primary is next August with the election scheduled for November.