Tipsheet

Democrat Wisconsin House Candidate Campaigns With Architect of Sanctuary City Policies

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 24, 2026 2:45 PM

Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a congressional candidate in Wisconsin, held a weekend fundraiser with Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor, Obama's chief of staff, and a key architect of Chicago’s sanctuary city policies, as she continues to signal opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

Emanuel served as White House chief of staff under President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and helped to shape an administration that embraced open-border policies, saw record illegal crossings, and expanded catch-and-release practices that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans each year.

While the Trump administration has begun rolling back those policies, the impact of prior administrations' disastrous policies is still being felt. Over the weekend in Chicago, an illegal immigrant was accused of executing Loyola student Sheridan Gorman. The suspect had reportedly been released twice under the Biden administration, raising questions about whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

Meanwhile, Cooke seems to be supporting an architect of those policies as she runs for Congress.

This comes as Cooke has characterized ICE enforcement operations as "disgusting and wrong," and refused to answer questions about her position on abolishing ICE, or the Trump administration's deportation campaign.