Derrick Van Orden | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's3rd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Kind |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Derrick Francis Van Orden (1969-09-15)September 15, 1969 (age 56) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sara Jane Whitelock |
| Children | 4 (1 deceased) |
| Education | Excelsior University (BS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1988–2014 |
| Rank | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
| Unit | United States Navy SEALs |
Derrick Francis Van Orden (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician, actor, and retiredUnited States Navy SEAL who is the U.S. representative forWisconsin's 3rd congressional district, since 2023.[1] He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Van Orden was born inMinnesota on September 15, 1969.[2][3] He holds aBachelor of Science degree fromExcelsior University.[4]
Van Orden joined theUnited States Navy in 1988 when he was 18 years old. He received orders toBasic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) atNaval Amphibious Base Coronado in 1992. After months of training, Van Orden graduated with BUD/S class 184 in October 1992. Van Orden received assignment to SEAL Team FOUR at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia. Following advanced SEAL training and completion of a six-month probationary period, he received the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) 5326 as a Combatant Swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear theSpecial Warfare insignia.[5]
He served for 26 years, retiring as a Senior Chief in 2014.[6][7] During his military career, Van Orden served five combat deployments.[6]
Van Orden played the role of Senior Chief Otto Miller in the 2012 filmAct of Valor. He also had roles in the 2018 filmSurviving the Wild[8] andRunning with the Devil (2019).[9]
From 2017 to early 2019, Van Orden and his wife operated the Butternut Café[10] in the Village ofButternut in northern Wisconsin.
Van Orden attended theJanuary 6 "Stop the Steal" rally[11] and was present at theUnited States Capitol during theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[12][13]
On June 17, 2021, Van Orden confronted a teenage librarypage atPrairie du Chien Memorial Library about a display of books withLGBT themes assembled forPride Month.[14] Van Orden was particularly upset byA Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a fictional book about thesame-sex romance ofMarlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of former Vice PresidentMike Pence. Van Orden submitted a written complaint to the library stating that the book was "skewing young people to think that Republicans are not inclusive. This book is not informational, it is propaganda".[15] A staff member said that Van Orden was "aggressively shoving the books around", was shouting, and wanted to know who had established the display so he could "teach them a lesson".[14]
Van Orden was the Republican nominee forWisconsin's 3rd congressional district, losing to incumbent DemocratRon Kind by a margin of about three percentage points.[16]
PresidentDonald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2020 campaign.[17]
Van Orden was once again the Republican nominee forWisconsin's 3rd congressional district. The seat was open following incumbent Democrat Ron Kind's decision not to run for re-election. Van Orden focused his 2022 campaign on his military service and the economy.[18][19] Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2022 campaign.[17]
Van Orden defeatedDemocraticstate senatorBrad Pfaff in the general election.[18]
Van Orden was re-elected to a second term, garnering 51.4% of the vote and defeating Democratic nominee Rebecca Cooke.[20]
Van Orden serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.[21]
Van Orden was giving a Capitol tour on the evening of July 26, 2023, when he happened upon Senate pages lying on the floor of theUnited States Capitol rotunda taking photos of the interior of theCapitol dome (this is a traditional activity for the pages during their final week of service).[22][23] Van Orden allegedly swore at the pages and told them to get off the floor.[23][24] Van Orden's behavior was condemned by his fellow Republicans, including Senate Republican leaderMitch McConnell and SenatorThom 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."[23]
Van Orden had an outburst during a White House briefing on theGaza war.[25]
During President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address, Van Orden shouted "lies" after Biden criticized Donald Trump over Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.[26]
In February 2025, Van Orden filed a resolution to impeach U.S. District JudgePaul Engelmayer after the judge blockedElon Musk's team from accessing sensitive U.S. Treasury Department payment systems.[27] The following month, Musk contributed the maximum allowable donation to Van Orden and other Republicans who supported the impeachment of federal judges who had ruled against theTrump administration.[28]
Following theshootings of Minnesota legislators in June, Van Orden falsely linked the perpetrator to the anti-TrumpNo Kings protests, writing "Yesterday, a whole pack of election deniers got together and spewed hate. One of them decided to murder and attempt to murder some politicians that were not far Left enough for them." Van Orden responded to Minnesota GovernorTim Walz's statements mourning the shootings in posts calling Walz "stupid" and a "clown." He replied to criticism of his comments from fellow Wisconsin representativeMark Pocan, telling Pocan "It is statistically impossible that you could be dumb enough to believe what you are writing."[29][30]
Van Orden voted in favor of theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act. Van Orden celebrated passage of the Act by posting "YES!" onX in response to a post critical of the bill which stated "17 million people just lost health care. 18 million kids just lost school meals. 3 million Americans just lost food assistance. And $3.5 trillion was added to the deficit. All for a tax cut for Trump's billionaire donors." Van Orden later deleted the post.[31]
After voting to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Van Orden commented that he and other Republicans were "not a bunch of little bitches" for falling in line with President Trump's policies and self-imposed deadline.[32]
Van Orden and his wife, Sara Jane, live in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.[34] They have four children and eleven grandchildren.[34] He is a Protestant.[35][36] In August 2023, Van Orden's oldest daughter, Sydney Marie Martenis, died of cancer.[37][38]
On August 27, 2021, Van Orden was cited at theEastern Iowa Airport for having a loaded handgun in his bag at the security checkpoint. Van Orden called the incident "a mistake"; he paid a fine, completed a gun safety program, and was placed on one year's probation.[39][40]
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Primary[41] | Aug. 11 | Derrick Van Orden | Republican | 36,395 | 65.87% | Jessi Ebben | Rep. | 18,835 | 34.09% | 55,251 | 17,560 |
| General[42] | Nov. 3 | Ron Kind (inc) | Democratic | 199,870 | 51.30% | Derrick Van Orden | Rep. | 189,524 | 48.64% | 389,618 | 10,346 | |
| 2022 | General[43] | Nov. 8 | Derrick Van Orden | Republican | 164,743 | 51.82% | Brad Pfaff | Dem. | 152,977 | 48.12% | 317,922 | 11,766 |
| 2024 | General[44] | Nov. 5 | Derrick Van Orden (inc) | Republican | 212,064 | 51.32% | Rebecca Cooke | Dem. | 200,808 | 48.60% | 413,181 | 11,256 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 3rd congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 357th | Succeeded by |
