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Derrick Van Orden

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

(1969-09-15) September 15, 1969 (age 55)
Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSara Jane Van Orden
Children4
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] He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and military service

Van Orden was born in Minnesota.[2] He holds a bachelor's degree from Excelsior University, a private online university.[3] He has said he attended law school[4] at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.[5] His family later moved to the Portland, Oregon area where Van Orden attended high school in Lake Oswego.[citation needed]

Van Orden joined the United States Navy in 1988 when he was 18 years old. He received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) at Naval 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, Va. 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 the Special Warfare insignia.[6] He served for 26 years, retiring as a Senior Chief in 2014.[7][8][better source needed]

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

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Democrat Ron Kind by a margin of about three percentage points.[9]

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2020 campaign.[10]

2022

Van Orden was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in the 2022 election. Van Orden focused his 2022 campaign on his military service and the economy.[11][12] Former President Donald Trump endorsed Van Orden's 2022 campaign.[10]

Van Orden defeated Democratic state senator Brad Pfaff in the general election.[11]

Tenure

As of November 2023, Van Orden served on the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.[13]

Controversies

Outburst at 2024 State of The Union address

During Pres. Joe Biden's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Mar. 7, 2024, Van Orden, seated in the chamber, shouted "lies" after Biden criticized former Pres. Donald Trump over Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a later interview, Van Orden said he felt it was "shameful" for Biden to "disparage President Trump."[14]

Outburst at White House Briefing

Multiple sources allege that during a White House briefing about the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Van Orden acted belligerently toward the Biden administration briefers, cursing directly at them, and calling their presentation "pathetic," and yelling "fuck you" at Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn). Van Orden's behavior prompted loud boos in the room. One attendee described his behavior as “offensive and inappropriate.”[15] [16]

Outburst at Senate Pages in Capitol Rotunda

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.[17][18] Van Orden allegedly swore at the pages and told them to get off the floor.[18][19] 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."[18] Republican Representative Chip Roy later took a photo of himself on the floor of the Senate Rotunda in support of the pages.[18] In January 2024, an ethics complaint was filed against Van Orden for his behavior.[20]

Arrest on gun charges at Iowa airport

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 with a bullet in the chamber through a security checkpoint and onto a commercial passenger flight. 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.[21][22]

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.[23] Van Orden was particularly upset by A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a fictional book about the same-sex romance of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of former Vice President Mike 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".[24] 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".[23] Van Orden subsequently withdrew all the books on display out of the library and then returned them within a week.[23]

Presence on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021

Van Orden attended the January 6th "Stop the Steal" rally[25] and was present at the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[26][27] In a tweet Van Orden posted on May 15, 2021 on his Twitter account, he asserted that he "did not step foot on the Capitol grounds... because, I don't break the law."[28]

Other endeavors

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[29] and Running with the Devil (2019).[citation needed]

In 2015, Van Orden published A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL's Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood.[30]

From 2017 to early 2019, Van Orden and his wife operated the Butternut Café[31] [32] in the Village of Butternut in northern Wisconsin.

Personal life

Van Orden and his wife, Sara Jane, have four children and eight grandchildren. He is a Protestant.[33][34] In August 2023, Van Orden's oldest daughter, Sydney Marie Martenis, died of cancer.[35]

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. ^ "Rep. Derrick Van Orden - R Wisconsin, 3rd, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Derrick Van Orden". The Hill. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Derrick Van Orden". X. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Derrick Van Orden — The Rosie Network". The Rosie Network. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "353: If You Have The Wherewithal To Do Things, Then You Should Do Things. Congressman Candidate (WI) Derrick Van Orden". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Derrick Van Orden". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Derrick Van Orden". NRCC. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b "Van Orden receives Trump endorsement for Wisconsin race". AP News. August 12, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  11. ^ a b 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Derrick Van Orden". vanorden.house.gov. January 3, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Lawrence Andrea. "Derrick Van Orden shouts 'lies!' at Biden during State of the Union". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  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. ^ Nikki McCann Ramirez. "GOP House Member Can't Stop Yelling Obscenities at People". Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Stieb, Matt (July 28, 2023). "GOP Congressman Defends Cursing Out No-Good Teens at Capitol". Intelligencer. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d "GOP lawmaker 'screamed' curse words inches from Senate pages' faces and 'shooed' them, source says". NBC News. July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  19. ^ "Derrick Van Orden took a bow after cursing at teenage Senate pages in the Capitol, Rep. Mark Pocan says". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  20. ^ Valentine, Jesse (January 30, 2024). "Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden hit with ethics complaint". American Journal News. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ a b c "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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "In Wisconsin, voters shrug off GOP candidate's Jan. 6 tie". AP News. October 16, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  26. ^ Solender, Andrew (August 10, 2022). "Jan. 6-linked Derrick Van Orden wins Wisconsin GOP primary for House seat". Axios. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  27. ^ Van Orden, Derrick (January 13, 2021). "Derrick Van Orden: We need Abraham Lincoln now more than ever". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  28. ^ Derrick Van Orden. "Derrick Van Orden on X: And, there about 1400 Left-wing Jackballs..." Twitter. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  29. ^ "Derrick Van Orden | Actor, Additional Crew". IMDb. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ Carlson, Seth (June 28, 2017). "Retired Navy SEAL opens Butternut Cafe in downtown Butternut". Rice County Review. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  32. ^ "THE BUTTERNUT CAFE LLC (T072056)". State of Wisconsin DFI. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  33. ^ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  34. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  35. ^ 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.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
427th 		Succeeded by
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