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A Democratic House candidate vying to flip a key Republican-held seat is on the defensive after reversing her position on conversion therapy following backlash from the party’s left flank.
Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic challenger vying to unseat Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., repeatedly declined to endorse a federal ban on conversion therapy during several forums held ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
But after drawing criticism from some progressive voters, Cooke reversed course, saying the federal government should prohibit the controversial practice, which often involves mental health professionals offering talk therapy for individuals struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The issue gained renewed attention when the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Colorado could not enforce a state-level ban on conversion therapy over free speech concerns, sparking backlash from some Democrats.
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The reversal comes as Cooke appears to be walking a political tightrope on LGBTQ issues in the Trump-friendly swing district, where she must appeal to both Democratic primary voters and the broader electorate.
Before Cooke can seek a rematch against Van Orden, she must first overcome a primary challenge from former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge, who is running to her left.
Asked what lawmakers could do to push back against the Supreme Court ruling at a May forum in La Crosse, Cooke sidestepped the question and said she preferred “local communities having control.”
“I’m in favor of that sort of local control when making policies like this,” the Wisconsin Democrat said.
Wisconsin’s conversion therapy ban took effect in 2022, while the city of Eau Claire, in Van Orden’s district, prohibited the practice in 2018.
Meanwhile, at a June candidate forum in Platteville, Cooke said “no” when asked if the federal government should pass legislation to ban conversion therapy.
Her answers prompted outrage from some progressive voters.
“I find it interesting that not in one, but TWO forums you said you would leave conversion therapy up to the states to decide,” one user wrote on Facebook. “That is not protecting the LGBTQ community.”
“I don’t know how you can say ‘Happy Pride’ if you aren’t willing to stand up for people you want to represent in Congress,” another account replied. “If you are willing to sell out the LGBTQIA+ community for votes, who is next?”
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Amid the backlash, Cooke said she “misunderstood” the moderator’s question and said she supported a federal ban on conversion therapy in a statement posted on a third-party account after the debate.
During a July forum in Eau Claire, Cooke clarified, “I do not support conversion therapy whatsoever.”
Berge, who helped enact Eau Claire’s local conversion therapy ban, was clear throughout the candidate forums in denouncing the practice.
“As a therapist, conversion therapy has no place in our society, in our culture,” she said during the June event.
Republicans sharply criticized Cooke’s reversal on conversion therapy bans.
Van Orden’s campaign argued Cooke, who counts Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., among her endorsers, flip-flopped on her stance while still trying to “portray herself as a moderate.”
“Rebecca Cooke is so desperate to appease the far-left woke mob that Wisconsin voters can’t be sure where she actually stands,” Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman Hunter Lovell told Fox News Digital.
“She’s trying to be one candidate for liberal activists and another for everyone else,” he continued. “Whether it’s caving to the far left or scrambling to rebrand herself for the general election, Cooke owes Wisconsinites an answer: Which Rebecca Cooke would show up in Congress?”
Fox News Digital reached out to Cooke for comment.
Cooke, a former Democratic consultant, fundraiser and small business owner, has consistently supported expanding LGBTQ rights during her previous two failed bids for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
In her third run for the seat, the repeat candidate is making clear that the Democrat-backed Equality Act — legislation that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes under federal civil rights law potentially affecting women-only spaces and female sports teams — is a “centerpiece” of her campaign.
She is also endorsed by the progressive Human Rights Campaign, which has advocated for sex change procedures for minors, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
President Donald Trump comfortably carried the sprawling swing district by more than seven points in 2024, meaning Cooke would likely have to win over a segment of the president’s voters to prevail in November.
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Cooke, who significantly outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris, lost to Van Orden in the general election by just under three points in 2024, according to analysis from The Downballot.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the battleground contest as a “toss-up.”
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