Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge Launches Congressional Campaign
Berge officially announces run for Wisconsin's 3rd District
Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge officially declared her campaign for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, April 15.
Running as a Democrat, Berge filed candidacy paperwork with the FEC last Friday, April 11, and took her campaign public Tuesday morning with a press conference in Chippewa County and campaign launch video shared online.
Berge is now the second Democrat running for the 3rd District – which encompasses 19 counties, including Chippewa, Dunn, and Eau Claire counties – joining Democrat Rebecca Cooke, who lost to incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden last fall by less than three points. The 2026 election will mark Cooke’s third congressional campaign.
Berge’s campaign website notes her background as a small business owner, mental health counselor, and various local and state government roles, including her current position as city council president.
Berge was elected to Eau Claire City Council to represent District 1 in 2018; vice president in 2022; and president in 2023. She is also a Board of Directors member of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, a role she has maintained since 2020.
“I’m running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. Why? Because our community deserves leadership that listens, shows up, and delivers,” Berge’s campaign posted Tuesday. “I’m a mom, mental health counselor, small business owner, and Eau Claire City Council President – and I’m stepping up because the people of Western and Central Wisconsin deserve better than extremism and inaction.”
Wisconsin continues to be a battleground state – the most expensive Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever concluded just weeks ago, with roughly $90 million poured into it – at the state and federal levels. Looking ahead, Wisconsin will have four elections in 2026: a Feb. 17 primary and an April 7 election for nonpartisan offices, and an Aug. 11 primary and a Nov. 3 general election for partisan offices.
Emily Berge's campaign website can be found at www.bergeforcongress.com.
