{"id":2334084,"date":"2024-08-30T03:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T07:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-house-hopeful-leans-into-outsider-image-despite-consulting-and-dark-money-ties-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-30T03:40:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T07:40:33","slug":"democratic-house-hopeful-leans-into-outsider-image-despite-consulting-and-dark-money-ties-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-house-hopeful-leans-into-outsider-image-despite-consulting-and-dark-money-ties-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic House hopeful leans into outsider image despite consulting and dark money ties &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocratic-house-hopeful-leans-into-outsider-image-despite-consulting-and-dark-money-ties-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2334084&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic candidate for Congress\u200d in Wisconsin&#8217;s 3rd Congressional District, is \u200cportraying herself as an outsider in her campaign, claiming to not have a\u2064 background in career\u2062 politics. In her promotion, \u200cshe criticizes the political elite in Washington,\u2062 D.C., suggesting they are disconnected\u200b from everyday people. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-oversight-seeks-testimony-from-key-biden-partner-who-transferred-1-million\/\" title=\"House Oversight Seeks Testimony From Key Biden Partner Who Transferred  Million\">financial records reveal<\/a> that Cooke has a substantial history in political consulting and fundraising for various Democratic campaigns over the past decade, which \u2063may contradict her \u200coutsider narrative. \u2062 <\/p>\n<p>Cooke \u2062has faced scrutiny\u2064 over\u2063 potential \u2062conflicts of interest, specifically regarding a nonprofit she founded that has financially supported a restaurant she has worked for. As she prepares to run against incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden in an\u200d anticipated competitive race, Cooke\u2019s ties\u200c to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-call-on-blinken-to-stop-funding-israeli-group-accused-of-influencing-protests-against-judicial-change\/\" title=\"Senators from the GOP urge Blinken to stop funding the Jewish team that is accused of inciting demonstrations against criminal change.\">national political organizations<\/a> and \u200d&#8221;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-climate-plan-gives-dark-money-foreign-group-approval-over-us-military-contracts\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s climate plan prioritizes foreign group&#039;s &#039;dark money&#039; over US military contracts.\">dark\u2063 money<\/a>&#8221; groups are likely to \u200bbe points of contention in her \u200ccampaign. Her previous work includes substantial fundraising for Democratic politicians and involvement with groups that may obscure their donor identities.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke&#8217;s attempt \u2062to campaign as the anti-establishment candidate appears complicated \u200dby her\u200b extensive connections within the Democratic Party \u200cand controversial financial dealings.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democratic House hopeful leans into outsider image despite consulting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sheldon-whitehouse-invited-three-dark-money-critics-to-testify-to-congress-they-all-take-dark-money\/\" title=\"Sheldon Whitehouse Invited Three Dark Money Critics To Testify to Congress. They All Take Dark Money.\">dark money ties<\/a><\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1741130\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>In her own telling, Rebecca Cooke is running for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> in Wisconsin as an outsider who <a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinexaminer.com\/2024\/03\/20\/rebecca-cooke-believes-her-working-class-values-can-flip-3rd-congressional-district-blue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>doesn&rsquo;t<\/a> &ldquo;come from a career background in politics.&rdquo; In a recent campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RebeccaforWI\/status\/1820446678169666031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>video<\/a>, she emphasized how the public &ldquo;doesn&rsquo;t see a lot of people&rdquo; like her in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, a city the Democrat warned is full of &ldquo;career politicians and elitists who are out of touch.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>But Cooke, Federal Election Commission records show, has been paid tens of thousands of dollars directly and through an LLC over the last decade from Democratic campaigns for fundraising and political consulting services. And just recently, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House<\/a> candidate was involved with a massive Washington-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dark-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>dark money<\/a> group masquerading as grassroots in the Badger State, according to Cooke&rsquo;s candidate financial disclosures filed with the House.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke&rsquo;s ties to the national political space could undermine the candidate&rsquo;s efforts to frame herself as an outsider ahead of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024 elections<\/a>. She is notably facing <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/08\/12\/us-news\/wisconsin-dem-congressional-candidate-rebecca-cooke-accused-of-conflict-of-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>scrutiny<\/a> from Republicans over a conflict of interest with a nonprofit organization she founded that has awarded funds to a restaurant she has worked for. She will face off in November against Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in a race that is expected to be one of the most competitive this year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wisconsin voters deserve the truth from those who seek to represent them &mdash; and Rebecca Crook has spent this campaign lying about who she is: a well-connected, Democrat fundraiser and operative who spent years working for the swamp and used her position to pay off her friends,&rdquo; Van Orden said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rebecca Cooke, a candidate for Wisconsin&rsquo;s 3rd Congressional District seat, attends a candidate&rsquo;s forum on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In her own telling, Democrat Rebecca Cooke is running for Congress in Wisconsin as an outsider who doesn&rsquo;t &ldquo;come from a career background in politics.&rdquo; (Saskia Hatvany\/La Crosse Tribune via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cooke, whose campaign did not return a request for comment, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dfi.wi.gov\/apps\/CorpSearch\/Details.aspx?entityID=C090457&amp;hash=640934082&amp;searchFunctionID=d1339145-c9db-4b73-9bc1-d0f0a75ee0a4&amp;type=Simple&amp;q=cooke+strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>registered<\/a> an LLC called Cooke Strategy in Wisconsin in 2015. The firm advised various campaigns between 2015 and 2021, while she personally helped raise millions of dollars beginning in 2012 as the finance director for congressional races in California and other states, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-taking-millions-from-corporate-pacs-maloney-wants-big-corporate-money-out-of-politics\/\" title=\"After Taking Millions from Corporate PACs, Maloney Wants \u2018Big Corporate Money Out of Politics\u2019\">campaign finance records show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/qghWa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> on a since-defunct campaign website that she helped raise $3.7 million for Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), whom she worked on behalf of in 2013 and 2014. <\/p>\n<p>In her House candidate financial disclosures, Cooke also reported being paid last year by Flytedesk, a company in Boulder, Colorado. Flytedesk works on behalf of national Democratic campaigns, including in 2022 for the Democratic National Committee, then-candidate and now-Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/campaign-expenditures\/vendor?cycle=2022&amp;vendor=Flytedesk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>OpenSecrets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s 2020 presidential campaign paid Flytedesk $14,600 for media advertising in 2019, according to campaign finance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00694455&amp;recipient_name=flytedesk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>records<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Cooke, during her unsuccessful 2022 run for Congress, disclosed on her candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/disclosures-clerk.house.gov\/public_disc\/financial-pdfs\/2021\/10043975.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> that she was a steering committee member for Opportunity Wisconsin, a &ldquo;coalition of Wisconsin residents fighting for an economy that works for working people,&rdquo; according to its website.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Through our stories, we&rsquo;re elevating the real consequences of the destructive economic policies that put the wealthy few first and leave the rest of us behind,&rdquo; Opportunity Wisconsin&rsquo;s website reads. &ldquo;Join us in demanding our elected officials focus more on growing the economy for middle-class folks and expanding opportunity for all Wisconsinites.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But Opportunity Wisconsin, which also did not return a request for comment, does not technically exist on paper. <\/p>\n<p>Rather, it is legally a trade name and project of the North Fund, a shape-shifting nonprofit organization funding left-wing causes from an office in Washington, according to corporate registration records filed there. The records list other trade names of the North Fund as projects such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.51for51.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>51 for 51<\/a>, a group supporting District of Columbia statehood, and Just Democracy, which has pushed to abolish the Electoral College and expand the Supreme Court, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/just-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the Capital Research Center think tank.<\/p>\n<p>The North Fund is registered under 501(c)(4) of the IRS code, which allows it to shield its donors from the agency. It spent $44.2 million during its last fiscal year and is one of several entities managed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2804931\/news-washington-examiners-gabe-kaminsky-explains-investigating-dark-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Arabella Advisors<\/a>, a consulting firm overseeing the largest Democratic-aligned dark money network in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The North Fund&rsquo;s Opportunity Wisconsin project is led by Megan Roh, a Democratic operative who previously worked for Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/meghanroh\/details\/experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to Roh&rsquo;s LinkedIn profile. Her public relations and consulting firm, Spector Roh Strategies, has been paid over $600,000 from Baldwin&rsquo;s campaign for &ldquo;operations and political management&rdquo; and other services between 2020 and July 2024, according to campaign finance records.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, then-candidate and now-President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>&lsquo;s campaign paid Spector Roh Strategies almost $70,000 for &ldquo;strategic consulting,&rdquo; records show.<\/p>\n<p>To spokesman Mike Marinella of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the records suggest Cooke is &ldquo;desperately trying to hide her past from voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking to a local Wisconsin news outlet in March, Cooke <a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinexaminer.com\/2024\/03\/20\/rebecca-cooke-believes-her-working-class-values-can-flip-3rd-congressional-district-blue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> her &ldquo;background and profile is really suited to&nbsp;connect with swing, moderate, and independent voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You know, I don&rsquo;t come from a career background in politics, and I feel like there&rsquo;s a lot of people in our district that want to have a representative that has lived experiences that they can connect to, I think career politicians make folks a little bit more leery,&rdquo; Cooke told the outlet. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1741130\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1741130\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke is positioning herself as an outsider in her campaign for Congress in Wisconsin, claiming she lacks a traditional political background. In a recent video, she highlighted the absence of individuals like her in Washington, D.C., criticizing it as a hub for &#8220;career politicians and elitists&#8221; who are disconnected from everyday people. However, Federal Election Commission records reveal that Cooke has received substantial payments over the past decade for fundraising and consulting services from various Democratic campaigns. Additionally, her recent involvement with a significant dark money group based in Washington that presents itself as grassroots could challenge her outsider narrative ahead of the 2024 elections.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke is also facing criticism from Republicans regarding potential conflicts of interest related to a nonprofit she founded that has provided funding to a restaurant where she has worked. She will compete against Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) in what is anticipated to be one of this year&#8217;s most competitive races. Van Orden accused Cooke of misrepresenting herself as an outsider when she is actually well-connected within Democratic fundraising circles.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke established an LLC named Cooke Strategy in Wisconsin back in 2015, which advised various campaigns until 2021 while she raised millions for congressional races across several states starting in 2012. Her financial disclosures indicate payments made to her by Flytedesk\u2014a company involved with national Democratic campaigns\u2014last year.<\/p>\n<p>During her previous unsuccessful run for Congress in 2022, Cooke was part of Opportunity Wisconsin, which claims to advocate for working-class economic policies but operates under the North Fund\u2014a nonprofit organization known for funding left-leaning initiatives without disclosing its donors due to its IRS classification.<\/p>\n<p>The North Fund spent $44.2 million last fiscal year and is managed by Arabella Advisors, which oversees one of the largest networks of dark money supporting Democrats nationwide. Critics argue that Cooke&#8217;s connections suggest she&#8217;s attempting to obscure her political history from voters while asserting that she&#8217;s relatable due to not having been entrenched in politics like career politicians often are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2334085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Rebecca-Cooke-Wisconsin-dark-money-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[39732,39730,39731,39733,32076],"class_list":["post-2334084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-dark-money-ties","tag-democratic-house","tag-outsider-image","tag-political-consulting","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Rebecca-Cooke-Wisconsin-dark-money-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2334084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2334085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2334084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2334084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2334084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}