Derrick Van Orden

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] He is a member of the Republican Party.

Derrick Van Orden
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

Career

Van Orden served in the United States Navy SEALs from 1988 to 2014.[2]

Political involvement

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 election, narrowly losing to incumbent Democrat Ron Kind.[3] He was nominated to run for the seat again in the 2022 election, and won, narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Brad Pfaff and flipping the district from Democrat to Republican for the first time since 1994.[4][5]

Van Orden was present at the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[6][7]

Other work

Van Orden is an actor, appearing in Act of Valor (2012),[8] Surviving the Wild (2018) and Running with the Devil (2019). He opened the Butternut Cafe in Butternut, Wisconsin, in 2017.[9]

LGBT library book incident

On June 17, 2021, Van Orden confronted a staff member at Prairie du Chien Memorial Library in indignation over a display of books with LGBT themes assembled for Pride Month.[10] 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".[11] 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".[10] Van Orden subsequently withdrew all the books on display out of the library and then returned them within a week.[10]

Arrest

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.[12] He initially pleaded not guilty, but later waived his rights and pleaded guilty.[12] 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.[12][13][14]

Personal life

Van Orden and his wife, Sarah Jane, have four children and eight grandchildren. He is a Protestant.[15][16]

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. "Derrick Van Orden". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  3. 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.
  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.
  5. "Derrick Van Orden". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  6. Solender, Andrew (August 10, 2022). "Jan. 6-linked Derrick Van Orden wins Wisconsin GOP primary for House seat". Axios. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  7. Van Orden, Derrick (January 13, 2021). "Derrick Van Orden: We need Abraham Lincoln now more than ever". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  8. "About". Van Orden for Congress.
  9. Carlson, Seth (June 28, 2017). "Retired Navy SEAL opens Butternut Cafe in downtown Butternut". Rice County Review. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. "Congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden confronted teen library staffer over Gay Pride display". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Associated Press. August 24, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  11. Herken, Olivia (August 22, 2021). "Library staff felt 'threatened' after GOP candidate complained about Pride Month display". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  12. "CITY OF CEDAR RAPIDS VS VANORDEN, DERRICK FRANCIS, Case No. 06571CRSMSM133691". Iowa State Courts Online. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  16. "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.