Wisconsin Democrat Rebecca Cooke reverses stance on conversion therapy ban
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The Democratic House candidate running to flip a key Republican-held seat remained on the defensive after reversing his position on conversion therapy following backlash from the party’s left wing.
Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke, R-Wis. As he races to unseat Rep. Derrick Van Orden, he has repeatedly refused to endorse a federal ban on conversion therapy at various forums held ahead of the Aug. 11 primary election.
But after facing criticism from some progressive voters, Cooke reversed course, saying the federal government should ban the controversial practice of mental health professionals offering talk therapy to 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 impose a state-level ban on conversion therapy due to free speech concerns, prompting a backlash from some Democrats.
Demonstrators gather in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of a Colorado law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors at Stonewall National Memorial in New York on April 1, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
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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 he should appeal to both Democratic primary voters and the broader electorate.
Before Cooke can get her rematch against Van Orden, she must overcome the primary challenge of former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge, who runs to her left.
When asked at a May forum in La Crosse what lawmakers could do to challenge the Supreme Court decision, Cooke dodged the question and said he preferred “local communities to remain in control.”
“I’m all for that kind of local control when creating policies like this,” the Wisconsin Democrat said.
Wisconsin’s conversion therapy ban goes into effect in 2022, while the city of Eau Claire in Van Orden County banned the practice in 2018.
Meanwhile in June candidate forum In Platteville, Cooke said “no” when asked if the federal government should pass a law that would ban conversion therapy.
His answers sparked outrage from some progressive voters.
“I find it interesting that you said in not one, but TWO forums that you would leave conversion therapy up to the states,” one user wrote on Facebook. “This is not protecting the LGBTQ community.”
“I don’t know how you can say ‘Happy Pride’ if you’re not willing to defend the people you want to represent in Congress,” another account said. he replied. “If you’re ready to sell out the LGBTQIA+ community for votes, who’s next?”
Rebecca Cooke, candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, speaks during a town hall hosted by Pete Buttigieg at the La Crosse Center on January 16, 2026 in La Crosse, Wis. (Kayla Kurt/Getty Images)
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Amid the backlash, Cooke said he “misunderstood” the moderator’s question and said he supported a federal ban on conversion therapy in a statement posted on a third-party account following the debate.
At a forum in Eau Claire in July, Cooke declared: “I do not support conversion therapy in any way.”
Berge, who helped enact Eau Claire’s local conversion therapy ban, publicly condemned the practice at candidate forums.
“As a therapist, conversion therapy has no place in our society, in our culture,” he said during the June event.
Republicans sharply criticized Cooke’s reversal of conversion therapy bans.
Van Orden’s campaign argued that Cooke, who counts Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) among his supporters, has fallen foul of his stance while still trying to “portray himself as a moderate.”
“Rebecca Cooke is so desperate to appease the woke crowd on the far left that Wisconsin voters aren’t sure where she really stands,” Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman Hunter Lovell told Fox News Digital.
“He’s trying to be one candidate for liberal activists and another candidate for everyone else,” he continued. “Whether she’s bowing to the far left or trying to rebrand herself for the general election, Cooke owes Wisconsinites an answer: Which Rebecca Cooke will run for Congress?”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Cooke for comment.
Cooke, a former Democratic consultant, fundraiser and small business owner, consistently supported expanding LGBTQ rights in his two previous unsuccessful bids for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
Representative Derrick Van Orden speaks before Vice President JD Vance at Pointe Precision in Plover, Wisconsin, on February 26, 2026. (Getty Images)
The repeat candidate, running for a third term for the seat, is making clear that the Democratic-backed Equality Act — legislation that would make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes under federal civil rights law, potentially affecting women-only fields and women’s sports teams — is the “centerpiece” of her campaign.
It is also supported by the progressive Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for gender reassignment procedures for minors, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
President Donald Trump comfortably carries the expanded swing zone by more than seven points in 2024; That means Cooke will likely need to win over some 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 by just under three points in the 2024 general election. Analysis from The Downballot.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates the battlefield contest as a “referral”.
