Derrick Van Orden
Van Orden in 2022
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 3rd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byRon Kind
Personal details
Born
Derrick Francis Van Orden

(1969-09-15) September 15, 1969
Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationExcelsior University (BS)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1988–2014
RankSenior Chief Petty Officer
UnitUnited States Navy SEALs
Battles/wars

Derrick Francis Van Orden (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician, businessman, actor, and retired United States Navy SEAL who is the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district.[1]

A member of the Republican Party, Van Orden received endorsements from former President Donald Trump in both his 2020 campaign, which he lost by about three percentage points, and his 2022 campaign, which he won by about four percentage points.[2][3] Van Orden serves on the House Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Veterans' Affairs committees.[4]

He has drawn media scrutiny for yelling at Senate pages and for confronting a library page over an LGBT book display.

Early life, education, and military service

Van Orden was born in Minnesota.[5] Van Orden holds a bachelor's degree from Excelsior University, a private online university.[6]

Van Orden joined the United States Navy in 1988 when he was 18 years old. He served for 26 years, retiring as a Senior Chief in 2014.[7][8]

During his military career, Van Orden served five combat deployments.[7][8]

Career

Van Orden played the role of Senior Chief Otto in the 2012 film Act of Valor. He also had roles in the 2018 film Surviving the Wild[9] and Running with the Devil (2019).

Van Orden's book titled A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood was published in 2015.[10]

In 2017, Van Orden and his wife became owners of the Butternut Cafe.[7][8][11]

Political career

U.S. House of Representatives

Van Orden won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. As of November 2023, he served on the following legislative committees:[4]

  • House Committee on Agriculture
  • House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Elections

2020

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Democrat Ron Kind with a margin of about three percentage points.[12]

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2020 campaign.[13]

2022

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2022 election. He defeated Democratic state senator Brad Pfaff by about 3.7 percentage points in the general election and flipped the district from Democrat to Republican for the first time since 1994.[2][14]

Van Orden focused his 2022 campaign on his military service and the economy.[2][3] He said President Joe Biden and Democrats were responsible for high inflation and said Plaff would support Democratic economic policies.[2][3]

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2022 campaign.[13]

Tenure

Van Orden allegedly had an outburst during a White House briefing on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[15]

January 6th

Van Orden participated in the January 6th "Stop the Steal" rally[16] and was present at the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[17][18]

LGBT library book incident

On June 17, 2021, Van Orden confronted a teenage library page at Prairie du Chien Memorial Library in indignation over a display of books with LGBT themes assembled for Pride Month.[19] Van Orden was particularly upset by the book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, about a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, and the rabbit's subsequent same-sex romance. Van Orden submitted a written complaint to the library that the book was "skewing young people to think that Republicans are not inclusive. This book is not informational, it is propaganda".[20] A staff member described Van Orden as "very uncomfortable, threatening" with "full-on shouting" and "aggressively shoving the books around". He wanted to know who had established the display so he could "teach them a lesson".[19] Van Orden subsequently withdrew all the books on display out of the library and then returned them within a week.[19]

Yelling at Senate pages

According to Punchbowl News, Van Orden was giving a tour for several dozen visitors around midnight on the evening of July 26, 2023, when he happened upon Senate pages lying on the floor of the rotunda, taking photos of the interior of the Capitol dome; NBC News later reported that this is a traditional activity for the pages to commemorate their last week of service.[21][22] Punchbowl News also reported that the pages are directed to sit in the rotunda awaiting instructions while the Senate is in late-night session, as it was that night.[23] Van Orden allegedly swore at the pages and told them to get off the floor.[22]

It was later reported that Van Orden had been partying loudly at an event in his office where alcohol was being served, prior to yelling at the pages, and several news outlets reported that he had bottles of alcohol on desks and in trash cans in his office earlier that evening as part of a party with 50 constituents.[24][25] His communications director, Anna Kelly, told The Washington Post that Van Orden "regularly hosts beer and cheese tours with constituents."[26]

Van Orden's behavior was condemned by his fellow Republicans, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Thom Tillis, who said, "This is inexcusable and embarrassing behavior for a member of Congress or any adult for that matter. The Congressman should do the right thing and apologize."[22] Republican Representative Chip Roy later took a photo of himself on the floor of the Senate Rotunda in support of the pages.[22]

Personal life

Van Orden and his wife, Sara Jane, have four children and eight grandchildren. He is a Protestant.[27][28] In August 2023, Van Orden's oldest daughter, Sydney Marie Martenis, died of cancer.[29]

On August 27, 2021, Van Orden was arrested at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after attempting to carry a fully-loaded SIG Sauer handgun through a security checkpoint. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later waived his rights and pleaded guilty. The court ordered Van Orden to pay fines and complete a gun safety program. He was placed on one year's probation on December 28, 2021.[30][31]

Electoral history

2022 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district results by county

2020

2020 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derrick Van Orden 36,395 65.9
Republican Jessi Ebben 18,835 34.1
Total votes 55,230 100.0
2020 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ron Kind (incumbent) 199,870 51.3
Republican Derrick Van Orden 189,524 48.6
Write-in 224 0.1
Total votes 389,618 100.0

2022

2022 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Republican primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derrick Van Orden 65,164 100
2022 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district general election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Derrick Van Orden 164,743 51.82
Democratic Brad Pfaff 152,977 48.12
Write-in 202 0.06
Total votes 317,922 100.0

References

  1. ↑ Date information sourced from Library of Congress Authorities data, via corresponding WorldCat Identities linked authority file (LAF).
  2. 1 2 3 4 Andrea, Lawrence (November 9, 2022). "Republican Derrick Van Orden defeats Brad Pfaff in Wisconsin's 3rd District, flipping seat". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Edmondson, Catie (November 9, 2022). "Van Orden, Republican Who Attended Jan. 6 Rally, Wins Wisconsin House Seat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Derrick Van Orden". vanorden.house.gov. January 3, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Rep. Derrick Van Orden - R Wisconsin, 3rd, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Derrick Van Orden". The Hill. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Derrick Van Orden". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 "Derrick Van Orden". NRCC. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Derrick Van Orden | Actor, Additional Crew". IMDb. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ Orden, Derrick F. Van; Mitchell, Adam (January 1, 2015). Book of Man, A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood (First ed.). S P Publishing. ISBN 978-0-692-42737-8.
  11. ↑ Carlson, Seth (June 28, 2017). "Retired Navy SEAL opens Butternut Cafe in downtown Butternut". Rice County Review. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ Herken, Olivia (August 10, 2022). "Pfaff wins Democratic primary, will face Van Orden for WI 3rd Congressional District". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Van Orden receives Trump endorsement for Wisconsin race". AP News. August 12, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Derrick Van Orden". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ Wu, Nicholas; Ferris, Sarah (October 11, 2023). "Democrats furious over Van Orden outburst during White House briefing on Israel terrorist attack". Politico. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ "In Wisconsin, voters shrug off GOP candidate's Jan. 6 tie". AP News. October 16, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  17. ↑ Solender, Andrew (August 10, 2022). "Jan. 6-linked Derrick Van Orden wins Wisconsin GOP primary for House seat". Axios. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  18. ↑ Van Orden, Derrick (January 13, 2021). "Derrick Van Orden: We need Abraham Lincoln now more than ever". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 "Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden confronted teen library staffer over Gay Pride display". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Associated Press. August 24, 2021. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  20. ↑ Herken, Olivia (August 22, 2021). "Library staff felt 'threatened' after GOP candidate complained about Pride Month display". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  21. ↑ Stieb, Matt (July 28, 2023). "GOP Congressman Defends Cursing Out No-Good Teens at Capitol". Intelligencer. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "GOP lawmaker 'screamed' curse words inches from Senate pages' faces and 'shooed' them, source says". NBC News. July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  23. ↑ Weaver, Al (July 27, 2023). "'Jackasses,' 'little s‑‑‑‑': GOP congressman curses out teenage Senate pages". The Hill. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Journal Sentinel". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Congressman reportedly cursed out Senate pages from Capitol Rotunda". The Washington Post.
  26. ↑ Vazquez, Maegan; Alfaro, Mariana (July 27, 2023). "Congressman reportedly cursed out Senate pages from Capitol Rotunda". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  29. ↑ Nerozzi, Timothy (August 22, 2023). "Republican congressman reveals death of oldest daughter — and the tragic cause: 'We are heartbroken'". Fox News. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  30. ↑ Marley, Patrick (May 9, 2022). "Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden fined for having a loaded gun in an airport. He calls the incident a mistake". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  31. ↑ Herken, Olivia (May 9, 2022). "GOP congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden fined for having loaded gun in Iowa airport". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
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