Rebecca Cooke, a candidate for Wisconsin's Third Congressional District, has disclosed payments from two left-leaning organizations with financial ties to billionaire investor George Soros' Open Society Foundation. Cooke, who has campaigned as a working-class outsider, received more than $5,000 each from Third Way and the Pipeline Fund, according to personal financial disclosures released after Wisconsin's Aug. 13 primary.
The disclosure forms cover the period from January 1, 2025, to July 14, 2026, but do not specify the exact amounts Cooke received from the two groups. A spokesperson for Third Way confirmed that Cooke was paid $30,000 for a project focused on amplifying working-class voices. The Pipeline Fund also confirmed Cooke worked as a contractor to advance its mission of supporting underrepresented communities in seeking office.
The Open Society Foundation network has provided significant funding to both organizations. The Foundation to Promote Open Society, a grant-making arm of the network, awarded grants totaling $1 million to Third Way's nonprofit research arm between 2023 and 2024. The Pipeline Fund received $1.4 million directly from the Open Society Action Fund in 2024, in addition to approximately $2.26 million from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a liberal nonprofit network that has also received funding from the Soros-founded Open Society network.
George Soros has donated over $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations, which has been led by his son, Alex Soros, since 2022. The foundation has distributed tens of millions of dollars to groups supporting causes such as policing reform, LGBTQ rights, and drug decriminalization.
Cooke's financial disclosure was filed two days after the primary, following an extension she requested in April. Federal regulations require House candidates who spend or raise more than $5,000 to submit personal financial disclosure forms 30 days before an election. Representative Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., criticized Cooke's delay in releasing her financial records, stating it demonstrated a lack of transparency with voters.
Cooke defended her financial disclosures, asserting that her work with Third Way and the Pipeline Fund aligns with her working-class background and commitment to increasing representation for such individuals in politics. She stated that she has previously run her own campaign consulting firm and worked with numerous campaigns from 2015 to 2021.
Third Way, an organization focused on centrist Democratic policies, has been involved in a $15 million campaign to counter socialist policies ahead of upcoming elections. The Pipeline Fund works to recruit and support progressive candidates in state and local races. Cooke's campaign, along with the Open Society Foundation and the Pipeline Fund, were contacted for comment.