# Derrick Van Orden ## Summary U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District (La Crosse, Eau Claire, Driftless region, western WI) since January 2023. **Sophomore Republican**. Former [[U.S. Navy]] SEAL from Prairie du Chien. First elected 2022 (flipping the seat after 20+ years of D representation under Ron Kind, who retired); reelected 2024 over Rebecca Cooke **51.4%–48.6% (~2.8 points)**. **The only Wisconsin Republican congressman to run behind Trump in his district in 2024** — Trump carried WI-03 by 7+ points while Van Orden won by under 3, and Van Orden also trailed R Senate candidate Eric Hovde by ~4 points. Trump-endorsed **2025-04-28**. ## Career highlights - Former U.S. Navy SEAL - Residence: Prairie du Chien, WI - First elected 2022 (Ron Kind retirement) - 2024 reelection: 51.4% vs. Rebecca Cooke 48.6% — ~2.8 points, ~11,000 votes - Documented pattern of aggressive/controversial conduct (see below) - Trump endorsed 2025-04-28 ("[[America First]] Warrior") ## Controversy record A well-documented multi-year pattern covered by national and local media: - **January 6, 2021**: Attended "[[Stop the Steal]]" rally. Present at the Capitol. Denies entering restricted grounds. Daily Beast report (disputed by Van Orden) placed him in a restricted area; ~$4,000 in DC hotel/transportation costs around that date. No criminal charges. - **February 2023**: Profanity-laced tirade against U.S. Senate teenage pages for lying on the floor during Memorial Day weekend. - **Library book threat** (multiple reports): Threatened a librarian over a children's book about gay rabbits. - **2024 State of the Union**: Shouted "lies" during Biden's address. - **July 2024 RNC (Milwaukee)**: Falsely accused CodePink's Nour Jaghama of assault after running into her from behind. Jaghama was arrested and held 15 hours; charged with battery against a sitting Member of Congress. CodePink called the accusation false and reported death threats. - **February 2025**: Told a disabled veteran who reached out to his office, "I'm going to turn you into DOGE." - **May 2025**: Canceled votes and rescheduled virtual roundtable after receiving a credible threat against his wife, children, and grandchildren. - **June 2025**: Mocked Democrats on social media following the murders of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shootings of two MN state legislators. Wisconsin Examiner: "a danger sign." ## Congressional profile Sophomore Republican. Navy SEAL biographical framing is central to his brand. Considered "one of the most polarizing members of the House." Trump endorsement 2025-04-28 positions him as "America First Warrior." ## 2026 race See [[WI-03-2026]]. **Cook Toss Up** (shifted from Lean R in December 2025, partly justified by the 2025 WI State Supreme Court Democratic landslide). **Sabato: Toss Up. PVI R+3.** Q1 2026: $1.3M raised, $3.8M COH — **outraised by Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke (3rd run): $2.4M raised, $4.4M+ COH**. Cooke on the DCCC Red to Blue program. Primary: August 11, 2026. ## Related KB entities - [[WI-03-2026]] — his 2026 race - [[Donald Trump]] — endorser (April 2025) - TBD: [[Rebecca Cooke]] — D challenger (3rd run) ## Sources - [Wikipedia — Derrick Van Orden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Van_Orden) - [Ballotpedia — Derrick Van Orden](https://ballotpedia.org/Derrick_Van_Orden) - [NRCC — Trump endorses Van Orden (2025-04-28)](https://www.nrcc.org/2025/04/28/president-trump-endorses-representative-derrick-van-orden-for-re-election/) - [The Badger Project — Van Orden ran behind Trump](https://thebadgerproject.org/2024/12/16/van-orden-ran-well-behind-trump-can-he-hold-his-western-wis-district-in-2026/) - [Wisconsin Examiner — Van Orden assassination mockery danger sign (2025-06-19)](https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/06/19/van-ordens-assassination-mockery-is-a-danger-sign/) - [WKOW — "turn you into DOGE" veteran incident](https://www.wkow.com/news/he-bullied-me-congressman-derrick-van-orden-threatens-to-report-veteran-former-va-employee-to/) - [Common Dreams / CodePink — Jaghama arrest](https://www.commondreams.org/news/derrick-van-orden)