arrives before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on March 4 Dave Zweifel: The congressman from western Wisconsin just got an endorsement from Donald Trump which probably won't help him much with angry voters Derrick Van Orden has been running away from his constituents in his western Wisconsin congressional district when he probably should be running away from his pal It's doubtful that Trump did Van Orden any favors this week when a full 19 months before the 2026 congressional elections the president decided that he needed to endorse the Prairie du Chien Republican for reelection Trump described Van Orden as “an America First Warrior for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District," adding "Derrick Van Orden has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” (Yes the would-be king is talking about himself as the one not being let down because the folks in the 3rd District aren't getting much help from the former Navy SEAL currently serving his second term in the House Van Orden has been one of Trump's biggest apologists going so far a few weeks ago to demand the impeachment of a federal judge who temporarily prevented the administration from accessing payment systems in the U.S especially those in the mostly rural areas face considerable losses thanks to the president's tariffs severe cutbacks in the federal workforce and the elimination of millions in grant programs have local nonprofits scrambling for help the congressman has been a no-show at town hall meetings unwilling to face constituents demanding answers to their sudden misfortune upset by a lot of the things happening in Washington lately,” Tanja Birke “And as we tried to reach out to our congressperson We were not getting any response from him and often we’d call and the staff wouldn't even know where he stood on particular issues We tried to find out when he was holding a town hall of his own so that we could attend So we decided to hold a town hall of our own.” It was a similar story a few weeks earlier in Eau Claire when Van Orden's staffers were supposed to meet with the public Citizens thought they would have the chance to speak to his aides to share their concerns about the Trump administration Very very angry," said Martha Woodworth of Eau Claire one of dozens of people waiting outside a meeting room saw a silver lining in Trump's early support for the Wisconsin representative "Derrick Van Orden has spent two years drunkenly yelling at teenagers all while voting to gut funding for Medicaid and failing to pass a Farm Bill," said state party exec Sarah Abel "The endorsement of a historically unpopular president won’t be much help for Derrick as voters realize he’s truly terrible at his job.” Van Orden appeared vulnerable in his reelection bid last fall but managed to hang on for a three-point win over his Democratic opponent but that was before the billionaire returned to power and turned the world and the lives of 3rd District residents upside down Dave Zweifel is editor emeritus of The Capital Times. dzweifel@captimes.com, 608-252-6410 and on Twitter @DaveZweifel.   Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com The phone number is for verification purposes only Please keep your letter to 250 words or less Become a Cap Times member today and enjoy great benefits Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Derrick Van Orden attends a meeting with local business health and energy representatives April 23 at Mid City Steel in La Crosse International tariffs were a big talking point for U.S during a visit to an Eau Claire manufacturing facility on Friday the Eau Claire-based business which primarily manufactures industrial fans for use in the agriculture industry has business that extends beyond the Chippewa Valley to international customers That is the case for many other businesses that operate out of the third congressional district as Van Orden said it is his job to go speak to his constituents and bring their concerns to Washington D.C in an effort to try to work out legislative solutions specific information about component parts that I can bring back… and see if we can tweak those to see if we can accomplish the goal of President Trump’s trade policies,” he said “which is a level playing field across the board for everybody and make sure that our small businesses aren’t hurt too bad during that process.” When asked about tariff impacts on local businesses What we are trying to do is rearrange the entire global trade network and it is an incredibly complicated thing.” 77 countries have come directly to the United States to do bilateral trade agreements Van Orden said the federal government does not want a trade war but rather wants a level playing field and respect for manufacturers and farmers While an argument for tariffs is that they function as a negotiation tool for trade one concern is that they would impact and raise the price on raw materials that manufacturers and local businesses use “I am concerned about all of this stuff,” Van Orden said “We manufacture a tremendous amount of goods here in the third congressional district that are sourced from multiple different countries One of my big concerns — I wrote a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture — is potash We need potash for our soil for agriculture purposes in the state of Wisconsin you can’t really have a reciprocal tariff on something that you don’t produce yourself I wrote a letter a couple of weeks ago trying to make sure that we understand that there are some critical things like potash for instance and in some cases electric motors… that we are just not making here.” there are concerns that the trade war regarding President Donald Trump’s tariffs is causing instability for Wisconsin farmers despite the talks of bringing down costs for them implementing sky-high tariffs on our biggest agricultural trade partners Donald Trump is playing games with farmers’ lives — and Derrick Van Orden is letting it happen,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Deputy Communications Director Haley McCoy said “It’s disgraceful that the so-called Cheese King of Congress would enable Donald Trump’s tariff wars and turn a blind eye as Wisconsin farmers suffer.” A tornado touched down in Eau Claire County Monday according to the National Weather Service who lost their daughter in a crash in November 2018 that killed four people The former Fall Creek head coach is eager to take over the Bloomer football program The body of a Chippewa Falls woman missing for nine years has been located according to the Chippewa Falls Police Department Slugging stars on the diamond and strong efforts on the track lead this week's nominees Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account WASHINGTON – Democrats listed Wisconsin Republicans Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil as among their top House targets for 2026 but it’s Van Orden's seat that has them feeling bullish While Steil’s southeastern Wisconsin 1st Congressional District appears on paper to be the better Democratic pickup opportunity with its blue cities and tighter margins in recent statewide elections the western 3rd Congressional District has emerged as Wisconsin’s top battleground seat has won nearly every election by double digits have come down to just a handful of points Republicans and election observers alike have chalked up to the differences between the two men Democratic candidate quality and other voting habits in the state’s most purple House districts “You’ve sort of got conflicting indicators here,” said Kyle Kondik managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics Wisconsin One should be a better target than Wisconsin Three At least it doesn’t seem like that this far out.” Steil won reelection by nine and 10 points in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Van Orden flipped the 3rd District red in 2022 with a 4-point win and won reelection this past November by just under three points Those numbers stand out compared to district-level results in recent statewide elections where Republicans tended to fare better in the 3rd than the 1st President Donald Trump won the 3rd District by 7.4 points and the 1st by 4.5 points won the 3rd District by 4 points and the 1st District by just 2.6 points at the time Van Orden on the same ballot won his race by just shy of three points — running behind Trump and Hovde — while Steil recorded his double-digit victory Ron Johnson won the 3rd by 5.7 points and the 1st by 4.3 points in his successful reelection bid (The outlier that year was the race for governor; Democratic Gov Tony Evers won the 3rd by about 0.4 points while his opponent took the 1st by a little more than a tenth of a point.)  early 2026 House projections suggest Van Orden will again have the more difficult path to reelection Sabato’s Crystal Ball recently listed Van Orden’s seat as a “toss up” and put Steil’s district as “likely Republican.” The Cook Political Report this week also shifted Van Orden’s seat to “toss up” from "lean Republican" and kept Steil’s as “likely Republican.” He said Van Orden turned in what he considered a “toss-up-style performance.” who leads the House Administration Committee has kept a lower profile and does not have a combative reputation More: Toxic for years, relations between Wisconsin congressmen Van Orden and Pocan just got much worse Cooke came within three points of Van Orden last cycle and raised $6.3 million to Van Orden’s $7.6 million in the process — the most of any Wisconsin Democratic House candidate in recent cycles She has won the praise of top Democrats in Washington and saw outside Democratic groups invest millions into her run last cycle Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge and another Democrat are challenging Cooke in the 3rd District primary raised $2.3 million and didn’t draw the same national Democratic attention as Cooke’s race — something one national Democratic strategist attributed to Barca's decision to enter the race just seven months before the election Steil raised more than $5.6 million and had millions in cash on hand in 2024 Van Orden is kind of a problem for himself and that we have a candidate who outran (Democratic Sen Tammy) Baldwin last cycle,” the Democratic strategist who works on House campaigns said of why the party sees the 3rd as the main Wisconsin pickup opportunity “Steil has done a really good job … of just carving out a lane and just kind of being like this so-called pragmatic whereas Van Orden has made headlines,” added another Washington Democrat a former Republican strategist and executive director of the Wisconsin GOP pointed to Steil’s visibility in his district and constituent services operations as factors in the Janesville Republican’s success “mitigates some of the angst that normally would go against him.” “He does the sort of things that incumbents gotta do,” Scholz said of Steil Scholz noted Van Orden is similarly present around his district but said an open question for 2026 in Van Orden’s largely rural seat is whether MAGA Trump voters turn out in a midterm election year where Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot Republicans have also acknowledged the stylistic differences between Van Orden and Steil, though some dismissed the temperaments of the two men as a factor in Steil's wider margins, arguing that voters like Van Orden’s aggressive nature. Van Orden, for his part, has acknowledged what he called his “brusque form of communication.” One Republican who works on House races across the country argued Republican voters in Wisconsin’s 3rd District have a lower propensity to vote than those in the 1st District and are “not really voting for Republicans down the ballot.” Democrats are also more engaged in the 3rd District because they lost the seat to Van Orden in 2022 after holding it for 26 years resulting in greater attention and spending in last year’s western Wisconsin House race and I think there’s just more of a hunger to take down someone like DVO,” the Republican said “He doesn’t try to shy away from that at all — he’s out there So I think that makes them want it even more.” The Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this month in which liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated a conservative backed by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk by double digits Both the 1st and 3rd District shifted toward Democrats' favor in the off-year election compared to 2024 And looming over both House races for 2026 is the potential for another challenge to the congressional maps which could seek to make Steil and Van Orden’s districts more competitive for Democrats Some Democrats in the state have said they expect a new challenge to the lines that give Republicans an edge in six of the state’s eight districts Democrats in Washington also say they need to recruit a formidable candidate earlier to have a better chance of beating Steil no Democrat has publicly expressed interest in entering the 1st District race “I can see why the Van Orden seat is more attractive because it just has been more competitive in the past,” said Kondik the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball “Van Orden ran behind the top of the ticket last time and in what should be a better political environment in 2026 This story was updated with new information Home » Press Releases » Van Orden campaign: President Donald Trump endorses Congressman Van Orden for re-election Trump announced his endorsement of Congressman Derrick Van Orden via the conservative social media site Truth Social said of the two-term congressman from Wisconsin, “Congressman Derrick Van Orden is an America First Warrior for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.” Derrick bravely served our Country in combat and brings that same Fighting Spirit to Congress Derrick is working hard to Champion our Great Farmers and American Agriculture Stop Illegal Immigration and Migrant Crime Strengthen our Incredible Military and Veterans and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment “Derrick Van Orden has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” who is working tirelessly to serve the people of Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District for a third term “We will make sure the 77,000,000 Americans including 1,700,000 Wisconsinites who voted for you to have FOUR YEARS to govern will not be disenfranchised.  Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More didn’t hold back when asked if he supports a proposal to shift some of the cost of SNAP to the states The federally-funded nutrition assistance program helps low-income families pay for groceries Van Orden sits on the House Agriculture Committee which is trying to meet its target of $230 billion in agriculture spending reductions over the next decade as part of the massive package of tax and spending cuts Republicans want to pass to enact the president’s agenda The opposition could complicate the push by Republican leaders to meet the budget-cutting targets necessary to pay for the president’s proposed tax cuts In a letter to the committee Chairman Van Orden called a proposal to put 25% of the SNAP costs onto state governments “reckless.”  “That means either the state of Wisconsin has to increase taxes to maintain benefits or they have to cut the benefits,” Van Orden told Spectrum News "Feedback from members is an important part of this process and we continue to evaluate all options that will incentivize states to be better stewards of federal tax dollars." Van Orden said he doesn’t think there should be cost-sharing at all, but if there’s going to be, he said the only way it would be equitable would be to tie each state’s cost-sharing responsibility to its payment error rate which is the percentage of benefits wrongly provided the state would be responsible for 4.74% of the cost of SNAP Van Orden said that would incentivize good program management the senior policy analyst for food assistance at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) said even the cost-shifting proposed by Van Orden would force states to find additional money or cut benefits that's fundamentally this same unfunded mandate that's so problematic just with a slightly different structure," Bergh said "The state of Wisconsin would still face new unanticipated costs and those same really tough choices: Do we raise taxes or cut food assistance for low income families And Wisconsin would still be hit with millions of dollars in new costs despite having one of the lowest error rates of any state in the country." By a CBPP analysis if Congress where to require states pay 22.5% of SNAP benefit costs over the next decade that "would impose $23.65 billion in new costs on state budgets in 2034 alone the first year the proposal would be fully phased in." Wisonsin's slice of that would be $344 million in 2034 "Many states are facing short- or long-term budget shortfalls and states just generally are not in a position to absorb these new costs," Bergh said. "So it's very likely that it could lead to some pretty staggering cuts to food assistance for low-income families." Van Orden is facing a potentially competitive election next year when Democrats are likely to campaign on the cuts to social safety net programs that are expected to occur in the final Republican spending plan A number of Republicans in swing districts have voiced concerns about such cuts complicating the GOP’s efforts to hit the spending targets they must meet to pay for the president’s tax cuts.  Van Orden is gung-ho on cutting costs by identifying fraud but he acknowledged that doing just that will not be enough for the agriculture committee to achieve $230 billion in cuts.  A Trump administration official told Spectrum News 1 the White House is supportive of cost-sharing A final decision about whether to shift some SNAP costs to the states has not yet been made.  “While we don't know exactly which avenue Congress may be planning to make those cuts that's taking some really steep cuts to a program that helps more than 700,000 people in the state of Wisconsin put food on the table every month seniors or people with disabilities,” Bergh said.   When asked if he’d vote against the proposal to have states share 25% of the cost of SNAP Van Orden said he doesn’t negotiate in public Follow Charlotte Scott on Facebook and X Eau Claire residents and congressional candidate Laura Benjamin staged a sit-in protest at Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s office this week the group visited Congressman Van Orden’s office to share their thoughts on the Trump administration’s immigration policies The group of a little over a dozen area residents was not able to enter the office so they shared their thoughts in the hallway outside Laura Benjamin, who recently announced her candidacy for the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District said the group was demanding accountability and action in response to recent immigration enforcement activities “In your April 26th interview with Breitbart you indicated our country is rapidly closing in on a very serious constitutional crisis,” she said reading from a letter addressed to Congressman Van Orden you went on to state that the blame was on out of control jurists which is blame misplaced on the Judicial branch rather than where it belongs The comments came following the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. Judge Dugan is facing obstruction charges after being accused of helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest by federal immigration agents. Benjamin also called on Congressman Van Orden to publicly condemn the lack of due process and forced abductions being undertaken by immigration authorities, demand an investigation into human rights abuses at the CECOT prison in El Salvador, and reaffirm his sworn duty to uphold the constitution. As the group waited outside prior to the sit-in, the owner of the building contacted law enforcement authorities. He agreed to allow the group to remain as long as they did not block doors or disrupt other tenants. The group soon dispersed to join the regularly scheduled Wednesday protest outside the federal courthouse in Eau Claire. Want More Local News?We've got you. Scan it to get it. News Ethics and Standards | Privacy Policy Months after losing a close election for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District Democrat Rebecca Cooke says she’ll once again challenge incumbent Republican U.S Cooke announced her candidacy Tuesday morning at a press conference in Chippewa County That would put her in the running for a 2026 election to represent Wisconsin’s most politically competitive congressional district Last year, Cooke emerged from a three-way Democratic primary to challenge Van Orden for the seat The district had previously been held by former U.S Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL from Prairie du Chien, went on to defeat Cooke in November by just under 3 percentage points “I’m running for Congress because Wisconsin families deserve a fair shot and a seat at the table,” Cooke said in a press release announcing her candidacy “It’s clear we need more working-class voices in Congress who have lived failed policy and will actually fight like hell to rebuild the middle class.” She argued that she outperformed other Democrats in November and she called Van Orden “vulnerable.” “I will take on the monopolies that have robbed our families of their farming heritage and decimated our rural economies I’m focused on results and don’t care who gets the credit as long as things get done,” Cooke’s statement read Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District comprises parts of 19 counties in western and central Wisconsin Kind represented the district from 1997 until January 2023. In the 2022 election to fill his seat, Van Orden defeated state Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, in what became a nationally scrutinized election Cooke also threw her hat in the ring for that race but lost to Pfaff in the primary a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee which works to elect Republicans to Congress called Cooke a “certified loser.” “Voters are well aware that she is nothing more than a sleazy political activist who remains out-of-touch with Western Wisconsin,” said NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is one of the top priorities for Democrats nationally as they try to retake the U.S. House in 2026. The House Majority PAC, a political action committee focused on electing Democrats to Congress, recently announced a $50 million campaign to flip at least 14 competitive seats next fall Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Home » Battleground Wisconsin » ‘Crystal Ball’ lists Van Orden’s 3rd CD seat as ‘toss-up’ The University of Virginia’s first “Crystal Ball” ratings of the 2026 House races lists Wisconsin’s 3rd CD as one of the 19 toss up races nationally Bryan Steil’s southeastern Wisconsin seat as “likely Republican.” The rest of the state’s districts were “safe” for the incumbent party with the two other GOP incumbents who ran behind Trump last fall as he won their districts by at least 5 points who Van Orden beat by 2.7 percentage points in 2024 has already announced plans to run for the western Wisconsin seat again >> WisPolitics is now on the State Affairs network. Get custom keyword notifications, bill tracking and all WisPolitics content. Get the app or access via desktop “They all could face rematches with their 2024 challengers,” the center wrote of the three GOP incumbents who ran behind Trump “So while the districts themselves suggest Leans Republican the members themselves turned in Toss-up-style performances in 2024 the center notes history suggests Dems will be favored to flip the House in 2026 and the authors favor the party to win control next year though “Republicans do have a couple of factors working in their favor that could help them as they seek to defy history.” The initial ratings start with Dems ahead 209-207 when counting likely and safe seats Thirteen of the toss-up seats are held by Republicans Home » Press Releases » Opportunity Wisconsin: Billboard and advertising blitz calls on Congressman Derrick Van Orden to hold in-person town halls with constituents Derrick Van Orden yells at a witness and Democratic members of the House Agriculture Committee during a hearing on April 8 (Screenshot via US House of Representatives TV) Making the mathematically impossible claim that $230 billion in cuts would not cut “a nickel” from the benefits of citizens who were “lawfully” receiving them, US Rep. Derrick Van Orden screamed at and belittled an economist who was testifying before the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday “You’re wrong,” Van Orden hollered at Dr. Diane Schanzenbach a Northwestern University professor who works to improve nutrition education and health programs—after she testified about the harm that would be done to some families if stringent work requirements were added to food assistance programs like SNAP the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program colloquially known as food stamps for low-income households “There’s billions and billions and billions of dollars in fraud with these programs,” Van Orden asserted “Refining a program does not say ‘getting rid of this program.’” said the program was different than when his family was on food stamps and “eating government cheese.” “Things have changed,” Van Orden said about Democrats and other critics of the House Republican budget plan “The same people that told you during the last budgetary cycle that Republicans are going to cut Medicaid “They’re the same people that lied to you,” Van Orden said “and are fear mongering with hungry children and those most in need in our country he asked how many years of education she had only to interrupt her to say that his record as a high school dropout (later attending college in his 40s and law school in his 50s)  “The advantage of being a high school dropout is what you don’t have making the claim that work requirements that get people off of food assistance is a “success.” Schanzenbach and others noted that a punitive work requirement to older adults up to age 65 parents and grandparents in households with children aged 7 or older and people who live in areas without sufficient jobs would take away SNAP benefits to approximately three million people in an average month This would leave millions left to rely on unstable minimum wage jobs or give up seeking benefits altogether because of the red tape required to prove they worked or tried to find work The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says the math shows that lawmakers cannot cut $230 billion — or anything close to that amount — from SNAP without slashing benefits or some combination of both in a program that helps 40 million people afford groceries Democrats countered that addressing inflation and price gouging and providing more vocational and employment assistance would do more good than slashing food aid and your solution is to cut food assistance for people who already struggle to afford food.” McGovern called the proposal “insane,” comparing it to “setting the house on fire and slashing the fire department’s budget at the same time.” Van Orden concluded his remarks by accusing critics of trying to “enslave” and repress Americans in a cycle of poverty He was followed in the witness questioning by Rep “Dr. Schanzenbach,” he began “it’s hard to take some of the people here seriously some of the nonsense I’ve got to listen to since I came to Washington.” Thank you for taking the time to read our work we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Wisconsinites and our future our goal here at UpNorthNews has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Wisconsin families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged Ex-President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris met for their first presidential debate—and Trump unleashed a barrage of lies and.. A Dane County judge says parts of Act 10 are unconstitutional The Wisconsin Supreme Court restores ballot drop boxes and Milwaukee to talk to Wisconsinites about what they could lose under a second Trump term... The former president will repeat a message over and over until it becomes believed At recent campaign rallies in Michigan and.. will repeat a message over and over until it becomes believed responds to an email update from Representative Derrick Van Orden entitled comprehensive health care coverage is the most important protection against medical debt The biggest gaps of coverage remain in states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid Home » Press Releases » Opportunity Wisconsin: Rep Third District constituents invite their congressman to appear in-person to answer questions – Yesterday afternoon a group of Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s constituents visited his Eau Claire office to formally invite him to appear at an in-person town hall meeting next Thursday to answer questions and hear their concerns The invitation also included signatures from more than 400 constituents demanding Van Orden begin holding accessible which accuses Engelmayer of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”“Paul Engelmayer as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York engaged in judicial misconduct when he halted President Donald J Trump’s Executive order establishing and implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency on purely political grounds demonstrating clear bias and prejudice against the President and the 74,000,000 Americans who voted for him,” states Van Orden’s resolution “The time for Judicial Activism is over.”“The American people gave @realDonald Trump a mandate and no politician disguised as a jurist will interfere with it,” Van Orden said an emeritus professor of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told WPR federal judges have lifetime appointments as a way to insulate themselves from political retribution is not supposed to be a mechanism for getting rid of people you disagree with,” Schweber said.He said there’s very little chance Engelmayer will be impeached but it’s troubling to see a member of Congress “declaring that he feels no allegiance” to the U.S Constitution as it relates to an independent judiciary.“And of course members of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution,” Schweber said this is really deeply disturbing.”As of Thursday afternoon no other House members had signed on to Van Orden’s resolution did not respond to a request for comment on the resolution The last two impeachments happened in 2009 and 2010 WASHINGTON — The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) presented its 2025 Congressional Award to Rep Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) for his relentless advocacy on behalf of veterans and service members passionate and determined advocate for our military and veteran communities,” said VFW Commander-in-Chief Al Lipphardt “His resolve for accountability and action on some of our most pressing issues is clear and we could not be more thrilled to have him in our corner not only as a member of Congress but also as a VFW Life member.” the VFW Congressional Award is given to one member of the House or Senate for significant legislative contributions on behalf of veterans and military personnel Past recipients include strong national security and veterans' advocates Mike Levin (D-CA) who now serves on the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction Levin previously held the position of Ranking Member on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Van Orden was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 Quickly assuming the role of Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity he got to work addressing topline veteran and service member issues like the military Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and veteran suicide prevention As the originating sponsor of the VFW-supported TAP Promotion Act he relentlessly advocates for service members’ equal access to VA-accredited claims representatives in TAP classrooms he co-authored last year’s bipartisan House Concurrent Resolution commemorating the VFW’s 125th Anniversary and even proudly wears his VFW cap while presiding over VFW-attended hearings In addition to his duties as the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee Chairman he also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee Navy SEAL and retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer after serving 26 years and completing multiple combat deployments thereby earning his VFW membership eligibility He maintains his Life membership at Thomas Rooney VFW Post 1530 in La Crosse “We are eager to continue working with Rep Van Orden and his staff to ensure we get to the root of economic-related barriers facing veterans and transitioning service members,” said Lipphardt “His tenacity and resistance to accepting the status quo resonates deeply with our members and we are proud to bestow upon him this year’s Congressional Award.” Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 1946 and passed away at his home in Ona on Friday February 14 He was preceded in death by his parents Richard John Van Orden and Violet Van Orden Rich leaves behind his beloved wife of 48 years Sue (Gallion) Van Orden; his brothers-in-law Ronnie (Mary) Gallion and Steve (Lynn) Gallion; sisters-in-law Nedra (Kenny) Rich will be remembered fondly by a host of nieces Rich was a life member of the Lincoln Park EMS where he held various positions including Chief Rich was a member of the NJ region of the National Ski Patrol and served as Patrol Director and Training Officer at the Craigmeur Ski Area He was honored with a National Appointment #5230 for his exceptional work in training candidates in ski and toboggan handling first aid Rich was also a passionate outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing In Lieu of flowers the family would like donations in Rich’s memory be made to: Funeral service will be 1:00PM Saturday February 22 at McGhee-Handley Funeral Home West Hamlin with Steve Gallion officiating Burial will follow at Sanders Cemetery Ranger Ridge Visitation will be one hour prior to service on Saturday a Gold Cross Service will be held at the Lincoln Park First Aid Squad building Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Derrick Van Orden threatened a former Veterans Affairs employee over the weekend saying he would "be referring" him to the Department of Government Efficiency after he questioned the mass firings of federal workers a disabled veteran named Jesus "Tony" Ruiz had already lost his job at the Los Angeles VA in early February the world's wealthiest man and the head of DOGE Ruiz said he sent Van Orden a LinkedIn message on Monday seemingly unaware Ruiz was no longer working at the VA "I will be referring you to DOGE as it seems that at 13:46 on a Monday you should have been working for veterans President Trump," Van Orden wrote in his LinkedIn message which was shared with the Journal Sentinel Van Orden also noted that he is "a member of Congress on the VA Committee." Van Orden declined an interview request from the Journal Sentinel His office instead sent a statement that mentioned backlogs at the VA currently adding that the backlogs show "why VA employees should be processing claims at work instead of spending time on social media." The statement did not acknowledge that Ruiz had already been laid off when he messaged Van Orden or that the congressman had threatened to report him to DOGE within a week of his yearlong probationary period ending Ruiz had worked to help other veterans with their claims such as getting a medical procedure approved or adding a spouse to their policy He said he often handled up to 60 claims a day "Literally a week before I got my full-time tenure," he said Ruiz had just won an "employee of the quarter" award last year and received a $1,000 bonus for his work A photograph taken when he was honored shows him standing with VA Under Secretary Joshua Jacobs he said he was told it was for "performance." "Your failure to the Veterans Administration," he remembered Ruiz said he later learned one of the people on the call to fire him worked for DOGE He spent much of the day Tuesday meeting with lawmakers he joined other federal workers fired from the VA to attend Trump's speech And Ruiz said he was trying to meet with Van Orden before leaving D.C Ruiz said he is thinking of moving to Wisconsin and running for office Ruiz said he'd like "to run against Van Orden This story was updated to add a photo gallery WASHINGTON – There was once a brief time when Derrick Van Orden and Mark Pocan left open the door for bipartisan cooperation What began as a campaign trail spat during the 2022 midterms has evolved into a near-constant exchange of online attacks between two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation that has featured pointed public name-calling the amplification of a dubious years-old rape claim that authorities have dismissed as unsubstantiated is the most bitter within the state's Capitol Hill delegation in recent history It’s something those observing the conflict say is no good for constituents in either House district And it’s likely one of the most toxic intra-delegation relationships in Congress “It’s kind of taken to a whole second degree here where there’s name-calling back and forth,” said former Wisconsin Republican Rep The back-and-forth between the two congressmen exists mainly on the social media platform X It is a more than three-year-old fight that began when Van Orden in 2021 launched his second campaign for the then Democratic-held 3rd Congressional District in western Wisconsin The fight intensified as Democrats chided the former Navy SEAL over his presence outside the U.S. Capitol as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building on Jan Pocan at the time called Van Orden an “insurrectionist” and “human poultry” — saying he was too “chicken” to debate his Democratic opponent referred to Pocan as “one of the most radical Anti-American leftist (sic) in congress.” When Van Orden arrived on Capitol Hill in January 2023 both men claimed they would consider working together On any given day, it is not unusual to see a flurry of tweets from both men loaded with insults. Just in the last couple of months, Van Orden has referred to Pocan in public posts as a “vile wretch,” a “vile creature" and a "lying sack of shit.” He’s posted photos to X of random shirtless men in overalls saying they are Pocan in an apparent effort to make fun of the Madison Democrat One day in late February, Van Orden accused Pocan writing in a tweet that he is "happily married." “Alcoholism is a disease,” Pocan tweeted late last month in response to more recent posts from Van Orden Things escalated significantly last month when Van Orden began amplifying a decades-old, unsupported accusation of rape against Pocan, just as Pocan started to hold town halls in and around Van Orden’s district Van Orden repeatedly posted to his more than 70,000 X followers that there were “very credible allegations” that Pocan traveled “to Central America to rape children and then brag about it.” The allegations stem solely from a former Madison man named Glen Barry who published a blog post in July 2012 alleging he heard Pocan brag about the reported acts at a bar in the early 2000s A spokeswoman for the Madison Police Department told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the allegations are “unsubstantiated,” and no charges have ever been filed against Pocan to which Barry said he also reported the allegations But a report from police following an interview with Barry not long after his blog post raises serious questions about the story In an interview with Madison police in October 2012 Barry told officers he knew a “second person who has stepped forward to confirm" his allegations against Pocan a volunteer for Pocan’s first congressional opponent Wood had claimed he was attacked by an unidentified man in his home because he was gay and did not support Pocan and a judge at the time called Wood’s lie “quite simply bizarre and outrageous.” Barry in the October 2012 report also told police he “understood that one might not take him as a ‘credible person’” — referring to himself — but later said he was a “credible source,” citing a doctorate degree He said he wanted to contact police "to build a 'paper trail' that may be needed in the future." Van Orden told the Journal Sentinel last week that he had no evidence to support his claims against Pocan outside of Barry’s blog post. He said he did not read the Madison police reports from 2012 and, when asked if he reached out to law enforcement about his concerns, said only that he tagged the agencies in posts on X Asked why he found Barry’s allegations credible Van Orden noted Barry’s resume says he has a doctorate degree and he pointed to Barry’s claims in the blog post that he was a member of Pocan’s "inner circle." Van Orden said he's never spoken with Barry “I take people at their word,” Van Orden said He called Pocan a “known liar and a manufacturer of untruths” and said the FBI should look into the allegations Pocan on Monday threatened legal action against Van Orden following a flurry of late-night tweets from the Republican repeating the accusations Van Orden posted 11 tweets on the topic between 11:46 p.m “So there is no legal confusion for @derrickvanorden you are telling a homophobic trope about me I’m guessing you already know that,” Pocan wrote on X repeating it will have legal consequences." “Most elected officials have neither the emotional or intellectual defects that he has,” Pocan added in the X post he says reprehensible lies in response to visiting his district to do town halls In a recent email exchange with the Journal Sentinel who lives in New York and whose LinkedIn page lists a PhD in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison He told the Journal Sentinel his blog post “contains my full statement” and said he has never spoken to Van Orden The vitriol between Pocan and Van Orden is the starkest example to date of the deteriorating relationships between Democrats and Republicans within Wisconsin’s congressional delegation It’s a marked change from the days when former Wisconsin Democratic Sen Bill Proxmire would hold monthly bipartisan delegation meetings in which members could discuss issues impacting Wisconsin former staffers and members told the Journal Sentinel the meetings wouldn’t have a set agenda but rather served as a time to come together The nastiness is also an example of a departure from more recent delegation decorum members abided by what is known as the Obey-Sensenbrenner Rule — an informal agreement named after former Wisconsin Reps which held that members would not go into other districts to campaign against incumbent members That unwritten rule, current and former lawmakers said, was broken during Van Orden’s first run for Congress against former Democratic Rep. Ron Kind in 2020. Several Wisconsin Republicans at the time threw their support behind Van Orden. But Pocan in 2017 also endorsed against former Speaker Paul Ryan though Ryan ended up retiring before the election it is not unusual for Wisconsin's members to get involved in races against others in the delegation Pocan in 2022 frequently campaigned with Van Orden’s opponent and he was a vocal supporter of Van Orden’s challenger last year and we decided that personal irritation was not worth giving up the opportunity to work together,” Sensenbrenner who retired in 2020 after 42 years in Congress Asked about the change in delegation relations since Sensenbrenner quipped: “The no-bad-mouthing police ended up retiring.” said members always tried to “maintain a certain level of comity between the members because there were times where you need to all work together.” Ribble said he got along with Pocan and said Pocan was “always open to hear me out” even though the two often disagreed on policy “It was always extraordinarily professional,” he said of working with Pocan He suggested the fight between Pocan and Van Orden could hinder future delegation cooperation “I just don’t think it’s good for Wisconsin,” Ribble said of the public conflict “I don’t think it’s good for the institution and I don’t think it’s good for those two men to have that type of working relationship.” has said his interactions with Van Orden are an anomaly and noted he has positive working relationships with other Wisconsin Republicans approached outside a committee hearing one day in late February told the Journal Sentinel: "I get along with my Democrat colleagues I'm looking to track down Mark Pocan right now for a project we can work on together." Pocan suggested he has not engaged in the personal attacks to the level that Van Orden has rather saying he is simply highlighting policy positions and pointing out that Van Orden isn’t holding in-person town halls He said Van Orden is “emboldened” following Republicans’ election victories this past November "It's not useful to the state to have a fight back and forth I'm not going to sit back and let him be Derrick.” More: Rep. Derrick Van Orden accuses Code Pink anti-war protester of assault during RNC Van Orden, meanwhile, said the animosity between the two men escalated in 2023, when they were seated next to each other on a flight between Washington and Wisconsin. Van Orden said he asked Pocan during the flight if he knew what was going on with Van Orden’s daughter, who passed away from cancer that year at age 37, and claimed Pocan responded: “Yes "My daughter was dying from cancer," Van Orden said "And Mark Pocan and I — he was writing the most filthy disgusting lies about me on social media." Pocan told the Journal Sentinel the pair did indeed sit next to each other on a flight that year Pocan said Van Orden early on in the flight noted he would not work to unseat Pocan and Pocan responded by saying he was going to do "everything I can to make sure you're not elected." It was later in the trip Pocan said he then told Van Orden that he had sent him a note of condolences about his daughter and hoped he had received it “I'm gonna let Derrick deal directly between he and his doctor and his meds rather than me trying to have a back and forth on that issue,” Pocan said when asked about Van Orden's claims "Wisconsin deserves someone you can disagree with but respect and I don't think we have that with Derrick Van Orden." More: Rep. Derrick Van Orden shouts 'lies!' at Joe Biden during State of the Union referencing the airplane interaction and the allegations from Barry Van Orden in an interview denied that the conflict and inability to work with Pocan would impact constituents He said there are not many areas where the pair would work together anyway — other than the most basic tasks like renaming buildings “If Mark Pocan wants me to sign off on a post office Home » Battleground Wisconsin » Van Orden raises $1.1M over 3 months Derrick Van Orden raised $1.1 million over the first three months of 2025 just more than the $1 million Dem challenger Rebecca Cooke pulled in over the first three weeks of her quest for a rematch in the 3rd CD Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, reported spending $453,265 and nearly $1.2 million in the bank to close the first quarter Van Orden’s receipts included $661,210 from individuals with $323,981 of that coming from small-dollar donors He also reported $468,536 in contributions and transfers from other committees and PACs Cooke, a nonprofit director, reported $62,823 in expenses after she got into the race in early March and finished the period with $960,408 in the bank Her haul included $962,591 from individuals with $477,754 of that from small-dollar donors Van Orden topped Cooke by 2.7 percentage points in November as he was the only incumbent GOP House member in Wisconsin to underperform President Donald Trump’s numbers in their district.  In addition to losing to Van Orden last year Cooke placed second in a three-day Dem primary in 2022 filed last week to run for the 3rd CD as a Dem Her first fundraising report will be due in July — The fundraising numbers for the rest of the House delegation are: A Congressman Derrick Van Orden staffer canceled a meeting with Chippewa Valley Indivisible on Thursday after dozens signed up to attend The meeting was set to take place at the L.E Phillips Memorial Public Library on Thursday morning with Brian Westrate According to the group leader of Chippewa Valley Indivisible Cyndi Greening the organization had told Congressman Van Orden’s office that about 24 people would attend Greening says after putting the meeting on their pages and sending it to their members word got out and 112 people signed up to attend says she contacted Van Orden’s office to inform them of the increase in expected attendance Landwehr says Westrate originally agreed to meet with five members of the organization in his office She later went back to Westrate to proposed 25 people in a meeting room at the library the group told Westrate they would keep the meeting room limited to 25 people as agreed and cycle people through Westrate then told the group he would need to check with his district director Civic Media obtained a copy of the email sent from District Director Colby Lacefield to Landwehr it appears that the meeting tomorrow has been publicly circulating as a “town hall” on behalf of the congressman with an RSVP link that our staff was not made aware of I am reaching out to inform you that I am cancelling the meeting altogether.” Lacefield also said “the unprofessionalism shown by the bad actors who attempted to hijack this meeting is extremely disappointing.” dozens of residents still attended the meeting to share their concerns with each other and put those concerns in letters that were dropped off at the Van Orden office soon after One of the most common concerns expressed was the potential for cuts to Medicaid and the SNAP program House Republicans passed a budget blueprint that includes massive spending cuts and tax breaks The blueprint does not include specific budget proposals but creates a framework to begin filling in the details a member of the Eau Claire City-County Board of Health spoke about the effects those cuts could have locally “A full third of the health department budget is funded by federal grants in one form or another,” he said “Last night we had our monthly board meeting and reviewed roughly $95,000 worth and there’s great uncertainty about whether we’ll have that money or not.” who ran in the Democratic primary for the third congressional district was one of the attendees at Thursday’s meeting “I actually ran for Congress against Derrick as a Democrat in the primary last year and a lot of my concerns then have just skyrocketed I’m afraid of our federal government leaving our states and our communities out to dry.” Improving access to healthcare was one of the main staples of Wilson’s campaign “They don’t want the sick and weak,” said one resident on the potential cuts at Thursday’s meeting “They don’t want to have to deal with that they don’t want to have to pay for that My question for Derrick Van Orden is what is your hard line What is it gonna take for the orange tyrant to do for you to say wait a minute I don’t think I can support that?” Potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP were also the main topic of conversation at a town hall hosted by the Wisconsin Farmers Union in Chippewa Falls last week and local republican state lawmakers were invited but said they could not attend due to scheduling issues State Representatives Jodi Emerson and Christian Phelps Other residents expressed concerns about the truthfulness of the current administration and the influence that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has “I am absolute horrified that this unelected person Elon Musk has been given so much power with his technicians,” said one resident “And what they have done in terms of cutting off funds with no understanding of the consequences of the decisions that they have made is absolutely astounding that that’s happening in our democratic country And I want to know what Derrick Van Orden and every other elected official that’s sitting there and approving these things are going to do about it.” “This is an administration that is indifferent to the law,” said another resident “I don’t know how to engage Derrick Van Orden or Tammy Baldwin when it seems like nothing that happens in those chambers will matter.” After dozens of people who attended Thursday’s meeting said their peace they began walking down to Congressman Van Orden’s Eau Claire office they found Westrate making his way out of the office and asked if he wanted to meet with them Westrate said “Yesterday we were informed that the private sign up that apparently indivisible put together had been shared across multiple social media platforms I went to the library and looked at the Carnegie Room It would have had 24 people in there and 80 to 90 people milling about in the library which I would hope you all agree is a place people go for tranquility.” In a followup email after the event, Landwehr told Westrate that the event was peaceful, not disruptive, and she had checked in with library staff several times to ensure there were no issues. In a tweet on Thursday night, Congressman Van Orden called the organization a “George Soros funded group that is crashing meetings around the country.” Home » Battleground Wisconsin » Van Orden declares victory in 3rd CD Home » Ad Watch » America’s Voice campaign targets Van Orden over federal cuts Derrick Van Orden won his first reelection bid in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District fending off a challenge from Democrat Rebecca Cooke in one of the nation’s most closely watched congressional races According to unofficial results from the Associated Press as of 11:10 a.m Van Orden beat Cooke with 51.4 percent of the vote “We won!” Van Orden declared on the social media platform X at about 3 a.m Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL from Prairie du Chien, was first elected in 2022 after narrowly losing a race for the same seat in 2020. He has become known for his outspoken approach in his first term in office He has also been a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump encompassing southwestern and parts of central Wisconsin was a top target by Democrats to flip control of the U.S Speaking to WXOW-TV at his election night party before the race was called Van Orden said he plans to “get up and go to work tomorrow.” He pointed to the need for Congress to pass a farm bill in order to continue food assistance for low income people and programs for farmers Van Orden’s campaign declined WPR’s requests to cover the congressman’s election night event in La Crosse Cooke and national Democratic groups spent millions of dollars on this year’s race, after the party largely abandoned the district in the closing days of the 2022 election. That year, Onalaska state Sen. Brad Pfaff came up just short to Van Orden and was the most expensive in the history of the 3rd District who first ran for the seat two years ago and lost in that year’s Democratic primary had hoped to appeal to independent voters and moderate Republicans Speaking to WPR before the race was called Cooke said her campaign “ran one hell of a race.” “We really left no stone unturned and so I’m really proud of the campaign “We’ve pulled people off of the sidelines people who don’t always see themselves reflected in the political process and I’m really proud of the work that we’ve done in that way.” Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District was held for 26 years by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse. It’s one of just two U.S. House districts in Wisconsin that are considered competitive under the state’s congressional map Editor’s Note: Addie Costello contributed to this story House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana have claimed the raucous gatherings are the result of paid protesters.During a virtual event Wednesday said he’s gotten requests to hold in-person town halls he said he’ll hold a series of online Zoom meetings to address constituents’ concerns.“And this is why: There’s been a group of George Soros-funded agitators going around the country disrupting town halls being held by Republicans,” Van Orden said “And I find that completely disrespectful to the people that are attending the town hall who want to be able to speak directly to their representative and I’m not going to allow them to do that.” In late February, an Eau Claire-based group opposed to Trump’s actions said Van Orden’s office canceled a meeting with them to share concerns about the president’s executive orders cuts to federal government programs and staff Democrats have been sharply critical of Van Orden whose 3rd Congressional District is Wisconsin’s most competitive congressional seat and a top priority for the national party as it looks to regain control of the U.S they attacked Van Orden for avoiding an in-person event “Pre-screened questions asked by a staffer,” wrote Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Joe Oslund in a post on X During Van Orden’s 39-minute online meeting from his Washington office he said he wants to be the most accessible member of Congress but “to have somebody screeching in the background that is not having a productive discussion with either myself or their fellow constituents.”Van Orden also said his office would not tolerate people calling his office and speaking with staff “in a disrespectful manner.”“And that’s few and far between but one is too many,” Van Orden said “We’re just not going to do that.” rural health care and whether Congress is working with DOGE or if Musk is “doing his own thing.”Van Orden said he doesn’t want a trade war with Canada or Mexico but said Canada hasn’t been abiding by a trade deal signed with Trump during his first term He said he supports peace in Ukraine while also labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”On DOGE Van Orden said he’s talked with Musk and his staff of “tech dudes” to explain “rural America” to them He said they share a common goal of making America prosperous and secure.“Is it going to be tumultuous right now?” Van Orden said But I would rather shake the tree than water the tree with the blood of liberty.” held a combined virtual town hall Monday where they fielded a mix of submitted and live questions jeers or boos.Wied and Tiffany said neither they nor Trump are interested in cutting Social Security they said reckless spending in Washington needs to be reigned in to keep the programs solvent 73 percent of our budget is in Social Security no cuts to Medicaid have been identified.”Other questions during the virtual joint town hall focused on what the congressmen were going to do to secure the border and whether any government employees will be “held accountable” for sending taxpayer dollars toward “foolish outcomes.” One caller urged her fellow constituents to give Trump and his cabinet a chance after inheriting “a total disaster” from former President Joe Biden Mental health professional Amy Trader of Green Bay was on the call, but told WPR her question didn’t make the cut. She said it was about a survey showing a large percentage of youth in Wisconsin identifying as LGBTQ+ have considered suicide within the last year She didn’t get a chance to pose it to Wied and Tiffany “There was just so many questions that were allowed to come through that were clearly supporting him (Wied) almost leading questions that felt like trying to get them to respond on something they already knew the answer to,” Trader said but she wasn’t paid by anyone to call into the town hall Home » Press Releases » Opportunity Wisconsin: ICYMI: While Rep constituents show up in Eau Claire to raise concerns about Medicaid RIGBY – When it comes to hurdle races in Idaho everyone is chasing Highland’s Spencer Van Orden The Rams junior is the defending state champion in the 110 and 300 hurdles and has his sights on on adding to that medal collection He won both races at this weekend’s Rigby Physical Therapy Invitational and even added a win in the 100-meters race setting a personal best of 10.79 in the prelims He also anchored the winning 4×400 and mixed 4×400 relay teams to victory “I feel like I deal with pressure well,” he said noting the tougher competition is in the Boise area with Chase Lawyer of Boise and Tegon Lords of Nampa currently second and third on the 110-hurdles performance list Lawyer and Lords are also second and third on the 300-hurdles list Van Orden didn’t run his fastest race this weekend He’s been tested and recently faced the strongest competition he’ll likely see this year when he competed at the Arcadia Invitational in California earlier this month He clocked a personal-best of 13.59 in the 110 hurdles to win the title and then set a PR of 36.62 to finish second in the 300 hurdles The second-place finish in the 300 hurdles was the only individual race Van Orden has lost this season but the time set the all-time Idaho state mark meaning Van Orden now holds the state record for both hurdle events Van Orden said most meets he’s just chasing the clock and working to perfect his form “It’s black and white,” he said of the competition level but I just take a step back and say ‘I deserve to be here just as much as anyone else It doesn’t matter where you’re from as long as you’re running the times you deserve to be there.’” Van Orden said he was really “in the zone” after winning the 110 race in California He said he normally feels like he’s ready to be disappointed in the big races He said the atmosphere at Arcadia lived up to its reputation it’s just a matter of getting better and chasing more state titles The Trojan girls held off conference foe Highland 145 to 144.5 which should make for an interesting matchup when the district meet rolls around The Rigby boys easily outdistanced second-place Highland 172 to 96.5 Blackfoot freshman Owen Gregory won the 800 in a personal-best of 1:58.66 with Jackson’s Josiah Overbay clocking 1:59.20 Cesar Leon-Espinoza of Rigby won the shot with a mark of 47-11.0 had the top four finishers in the discus and three of the top seven in the shot put Garret Merwin of Rigby finished second in the 110 hurdles Gracee Anderson of Highland collected some hardware winning the 200 in 26.10 and the 400 in 59.19 She also won the triple jump with a season-best of 36-1.5 and anchored the winning 4×200 relay team Madison’s Brynlee Gwilliam cruised to victory in the 800 while Century’s Hailey Jackson won the 3,200 and was second behind Klarisa Earl of Thunder Ridge in the 1,600 Highland junior Leigh Ellis was a double winner winning the 300 hurdles in 46.78 and the 100 hurdles in 16.21 who recently signed to play basketball at CSI set a personal best with a discus toss of 131-04 but also broke the meet record with a mark of 131-02 Rigby’s Brinley Bybee won the long jump by nearly two feet and was second in the triple jump SUBMIT A CORRECTION We hope you appreciated this story.  A small team of local journalists runs EastIdahoNews.com – not a big business or corporation Our stories are produced to inform and serve the public We don't have a paywall or require a subscription to use EastIdahoNews.com but there is a cost associated with bringing you stories every day Please consider supporting us just once for $1 or contribute a little more monthly or annually We sincerely appreciate your consideration © 2015 - 2025 EastIdahoNews.com LLC a Democrat challenging incumbent Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden said she was the strongest chance to flip the seat from red to blue.  “I think Democratic unity is what it's going to be all about,” Cooke told Spectrum News on April 7 But Cooke’s call for party unity went unheard Two more Democrats – Emily Berge and Laura Benjamin – have entered the race using Cooke’s losses in the 2022 primary and 2024 general election as reason enough to hop in And so I think it's time for a change,” Berge said because I know I can get out of the primary – win the primary – and I can beat Van Orden And she hasn't been able to do it so far.” Berge is a mental health professional and the president of Eau Claire’s City Council She believes her experience in local government has prepared her for Washington.  “We have a very close relationship with my constituents and the neighborhoods,” Berge said “And so I really feel the issues – housing I've been grappling with my constituents since 2018.”  Berge said local government is “where the rubber meets the road… where we get things done.” She said her experience standing up for the most vulnerable people in Eau Claire as a City Council member makes her the right candidate to represent Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. She pointed to an example of how she supported a nonprofit that was welcoming 75 refugees to Eau Claire “City Council doesn't decide who and who does not get to live in the city of Eau Claire,” she said “So it wasn't even a decision that we could make I don't think we should decide who can live in Eau Claire and we welcome thousands of college students every year for UW-Eau Claire The district spans western and central Wisconsin and Benjamin has made campaign stops in River Falls Berge and Benjamin briefly worked on Eau Claire City Council together before Benjamin resigned for personal and professional reasons Benjamin said she wants to be a “citizen leader,” using her platform as a candidate to start to help “regular people.” “I hear so many people that are concerned about losing their rights about losing benefits with Medicare and Medicaid and there's a lot of concern going on there,” Benjamin said so that people that want jobs can have help finding them they have a living wage that they don't have to get off of work in the evening and suddenly go do another sprint at a side hustle just to make ends meet or pay off a student loan We have the the opportunity to do things with universal health coverage.”  Benjamin was the first transgender person to serve on Eau Claire City Council.  “Being trans is just one of those things about me,” she said “All I can say is that going through that process and understanding that it is not an ideology it is a necessity for people to be fulfilled in their lives that's a different perspective than I think that most people have about what it means to be transgender A lot of people have misconceptions about that and I really want people to understand that I'm not running because I'm trans It's just a factor about my demographics.”  When asked for a statement on Berge and Benjamin entering the race a campaign spokesperson for Cooke stuck to attacking Van Orden.  "While Derrick Van Orden looks out for billionaires and threatens our livelihoods Rebecca Cooke wakes up everyday fighting for working people and will take that same drive to Congress,” wrote Julia Dreher and deep community connections to beat Van Orden and deliver solutions for Wisconsin families who deserve better healthcare who heads the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire said candidates can’t go after people in their own party too much because they run the risk of alienating supporters.  is actually harder than trying to run a general election because you've got to tread very carefully in terms of what you say especially if it looks like it's going to be competitive until I see that one of the other two candidates is a serious threat Peterson said expectations that 2026 will be a good year nationally for Democrats and Van Orden’s narrow victories in the last two elections are attracting Democrats to enter the race Cooke’s previous two defeats in the district also might be contributing to the crowded primary field but Peterson said Cooke’s previous two campaigns give her an advantage people don't vote for names they don't know,” he said “The big effort that Emily and Laura are going to have to make is how to get that name recognition out there among the democratic mainstream within the rest of the district so that they at least have a chance to pick up those votes.”  Cooke has nearly a million dollars in the bank, according to an April Federal Election Commission filing Benjamin has raised a few thousand dollars and Berge did not reveal how much she’s earned and said she will be reporting her figures at the next deadline “We'll see if the other two candidates are actually able to raise enough money to amount to a competitive primary,” Peterson said “In terms of what it means specifically for Rebecca Cooke she's going to have to do more fundraising early on It also means she's going to have to defend why someone who's already lost in the district should have a chance to run again and that's not always an easy argument to make.”  Benjamin said Van Orden’s support of President Donald Trump is one reason he doesn’t deserve to be in office anymore.  “Republicans and Derek Van Orden do shoulder a lot of the blame for the attacks on the constitution that are happening on a daily basis in Washington,” she said.  Berge criticized Van Orden for not holding in-person town halls He appeared virtually last week and answered pre-submitted questions that were read by a staff member.  “I will show up because I have shown up.”  Van Orden said he won’t allow Democrats to “disenfranchise the 1,700,000 Wisconsinites and 77,000,000 American voters who sent President Trump back to the White House to govern.”  “As Wisconsin Democrats reinforce their commitment to keeping our borders open and supporting sanctuary cities I'm working every day to serve my constituents by protecting Social Security and Medicare fixing the broken VA system for our veterans and ensuring fair trade practices for our farmers,” Van Orden said in a statement to Spectrum News.  On Monday, President Trump expressed his support for Van Orden.  “Derrick is working hard to Champion our Great Farmers and American Agriculture and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” the president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social “Derrick Van Orden has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election.”  Derrick Van Orden won the 3rd Congressional District in 2022 the Republican from Prairie du Chien billed himself as a political outsider who could represent average Wisconsinites in a federal government that has forgotten them It’s largely the same message he’s using in the 2024 election. In a campaign ad featuring an unruly herd of goats Van Orden compares his colleagues in Washington to the farm animals But Van Orden is no longer a political newcomer He’s an incumbent member of Congress running in arguably the most competitive congressional district in the state The retired Navy SEAL’s outspoken nature has attracted national attention a few times in the last two years Van Orden has continued to fight to hold on to his outsider brand and his seat in what’s likely to be a competitive race in western Wisconsin He declined WPR’s request to be interviewed for this story but has said he is running to lower consumer prices and improve public safety and border security.  “This election is about three things: it’s gas groceries and grandkids,” Van Orden told supporters at a rally with vice presidential candidate JD Vance in Eau Claire.  has tried to seize the political moment by talking about Van Orden’s ties to Washington.  they can’t work across the aisle to get things done,” she said “I think that that’s what voters are looking for Somebody like Derrick Van Orden is not one of those types of unifiers.” a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse said it’s not surprising to see Van Orden try to hang on to his outsider status in the western Wisconsin swing district.  and many people believe a political outsider will have a better understanding of what the district needs Chergosky said the outsider label explains a lot about the region’s voting history including its past support of former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump what can explain an area that votes strongly for Obama twice and then goes the other way going for Trump twice?,” Chergosky said “The best I can do is to say that this area responds to the outsider label quite well.” Van Orden has been a vocal supporter of Trump since his first unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2020 He said he was inspired to run against former Democratic Congressman Ron Kind because of Kind’s vote to impeach the former president When Trump held a rally in Van Orden’s hometown this September calling him “an incredible congressman” who is “so respected in Washington.” Van Orden also shares Trump’s reputation as a political firebrand. He was one of several Republicans to heckle President Joe Biden during his State of the Union speech in March yelling the word “lies” when Biden took a shot at Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic He’s also been unafraid to confront members of his own party. He traded insults with U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida in April. Van Orden confirmed to Spectrum News that he called Gaetz “tubby” in response to the Florida congressman calling him a “squish,” an insult meant to imply he was not committed to Republican positions Van Orden received the most backlash for his aggressive chastisement of a group of high school-age Senate pages in July 2023 The pages reported that Van Orden swore at them for lying on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda to take a picture of the historic dome ceiling reportedly calling the teens “jackasses” and “lazy s—-.” The incident drew bipartisan scolding from Congressional leadership he said the Capitol is “a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room.” Chergosky said Van Orden’s voting record reflects the region’s history as a swing district and its long held preference for more moderate views “(He) has the incentive to try to establish a brand that is a bit more ideologically middle of the road,” Chergosky said Van Orden has been most active on veterans issues, introducing more than a dozen bills related to education and employment opportunities for vets. The retired Navy SEAL also sponsored legislation with Democratic U.S Tammy Baldwin to rename the Tomah VA Medical Center after Jason Simcakowski a veteran who died at the facility after being overprescribed opioids Cooke has worked to establish her own version of the political outsider brand She founded a regional nonprofit supporting women-led businesses and has served on the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation board But Cooke likes to talk about her upbringing on her family’s dairy farm and the fact that she works part-time as a waitress in her hometown of Eau Claire “So much of my background is really rooted in lived experiences that I think everyday folks can connect with and that they have been connecting with,” Cooke told reporters at a recent press event She has tried to present herself as a “middle of the road” candidate and has appealed to independents and moderate voters on both sides of the aisle since the start of her campaign Cooke has continued to criticize Van Orden for his presence at the Trump rally prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S and said Van Orden’s outbursts in Congress during his first term “is not the decorum that we want to see from a member of Congress.” arguing with her supporters in the comments Cooke says she’s running to represent the working class in Congress Her top issues in this year’s race have been lowering health care costs protecting abortion rights and supporting family farms Looking out over the Mississippi River in downtown La Crosse told WPR Van Orden’s attention to veterans issues and his support for law enforcement is important for the district Krause feels like the congressman’s less polished tone is a product of his time spent as a Navy SEAL “I think often he’s just very honest and forthright in terms of what he has to say,” Krause said but that’s kind of up to where you’re at I don’t hold anything against him for his outspokenness and direct (message) Krause said he appreciates that Van Orden isn’t strictly loyal to his party saying he’s “bipartisan in his criticism.” he’s an outsider insider,” Krause said feels like Van Orden’s aggressive style doesn’t represent the people of western Wisconsin While shopping at the Viroqua Farmers Market she described Van Orden as “abrasive” and said she doesn’t feel like he’s approachable to his constituents “I may not agree with all of Rebecca Cooke’s stuff either but she does seem to be that approachable able to listen to without being talked down to,” Popian said Democrats held the 3rd Congressional District for years who built his own brand as an independent-minded Democrat and had a knack for fending off GOP challengers But the sprawling district, which covers all or parts of 19 counties, includes a large number of rural voters, a demographic where the GOP has dominated in the age of Trump Still, by the numbers, the 3rd District remains within reach for both parties. It’s one of just two competitive seats under the state’s current congressional map, the other being the 1st Congressional District in southeast Wisconsin Tony Evers carried the 3rd District by less than one percentage point When it comes to fundraising this campaign cycle, Van Orden has raised about $4.8 million while Cooke has raised about $4.6 million according to the most recent reports filed with the Federal Election Commission Cooke’s total included a recent surge of about $2.6 million raised between July 25 and Sept while Van Orden took in $1.4 million during that period Wisconsin’s 3rd District is one of a handful of races that could decide who controls the U.S. House, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority. Chergosky said it’s hard to say who voters will ultimately see as the “outsider” candidate, and whether the title will ultimately matter in an increasingly partisan political climate. “How much cross party voting will we even see in this district? My guess is not much,” he said. Given the district’s recent support of Trump, Chergosky said Cooke’s campaign knows that she will need to win over at least a few swing voters in order to win this year’s election. Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE STATE of Wisconsin I would like to apologize for the statements Although he is in fact an elected representative he is not representative of the vast majority of us Wisconsinites exactly none became law; just three bills passed the GOP-controlled House before dying in the Senate and a single Van Orden resolution received agreement in the House: It encourages all Americans to “engage with veterans.” A legislative titan he is not Van Orden has nonetheless managed to make a name for himself in Congress placing high in such categories as crudest engaged in a Senate page tradition of lying on the Rotunda floor taking photos of the Capitol dome Van Orden happened upon them after leaving an event in his Capitol office at which the beer and liquor had flowed freely Thom Tillis (R-N.C.): “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.” Apologize, Van Orden did not. Instead, he issued a statement bizarrely accusing the pages of “threatening a congressman with bad press to excuse poor behavior,” adding bad press has never bothered me and if it’s the price I pay to stand up for what’s right Van Orden was similarly bereft of contrition in 2021 when he upbraided a 17-year-old girl who was working at a public library in his district in western Wisconsin The then-candidate for Congress was upset to see a display of LGBTQ-themed books that had been set up in recognition of Pride Month he had his finger jabbing into [the book] constantly,” the girl told the local paper “He was full-on shouting at this point and he kept aggressively shoving the books around.” Again, true to form, Van Orden could not muster an apology, instead issuing a statement in which he claimed the moral high ground: “There are people who continue to divide us as Americans for political purposes,” he wrote “I will not allow them to further degrade the relationships we have as citizens.” Join the best pro-democracy community on the internet: Sign up for a free or paid Bulwark subscription today he should be allowed to bring loaded guns on planes part of a pattern: Van Orden’s deplorable behavior “is always excusable and never his fault.” for saying “the jury verdict should be respected.” Van Orden quote-tweeted Hutchinson to broadcast his reply: “You have just permanently disgraced yourself and destroyed any positive legacy you had A few days ago, on February 21, Van Orden posted on X the image of a very large shirtless man in overalls shopping at Walmart a fellow member of the state’s congressional delegation and Van Orden’s nemesis He writes: “He has to go incognito because all of the farmers just love him for the zero work he has done for them.” I’ll spare you the image But here is a sampling of the comments that were posted in response: “Real Wisconsin has no use for scrubs like you.” “[D]oes your permanent disability from the military relate to being a fucking asshole?” Fuck you Derrick you disgrace to Wisconsin.” “You are a fricking disgrace as a representative!!” How does any of this serve your constituents Debate him like a normal human being or shut the fuck up and drown yourself in your booze.” Perhaps the remarks alluding to being drunk might make him want to distance himself from such a reputation Three days later, this is what the congressman posted in response to someone who suggested he should consider “pushing back from alcohol”: I’m even sorrier that this is not the most outrageous work product to issue from Van Orden in recent days ON FEBRUARY 18, VAN ORDEN introduced a House resolution calling for the impeachment of U.S District Judge Paul Engelmayer of New York for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Engelmayer’s offense? He temporarily blocked members of co-President Elon Musk’s DOGE team from accessing Treasury Department records on millions of Americans including bank account and Social Security numbers in response to a lawsuit filed by nineteen Democratic attorneys general Engelmayer has abused his judicial office by using his authority to further personal or political interests contrary to the constitutional responsibility to apply the law impartially including the improper handling of this case in a manner that demonstrates favoritism or undue influence undermining the fundamental principles of justice The resolution says Engelmayer, a former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall who was appointed to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York by President Barack Obama “engaged in judicial misconduct when he halted President Donald J demonstrating clear bias and prejudice against the President and the 74,000,000 Americans who voted for him.” Actually, Trump was elected last November with more than 77 million votes. The error has been pointed out but not corrected Van Orden followed his resolution with a post on Musk’s social media site X “The time for Judicial Activism is over,” he proclaimed “The American people gave @realDonaldTrump a mandate and no politician disguised as a jurist will interfere with it.” Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) introduced his own resolution to impeach Engelmayer a few days later alleging that “by making a political decision outside the scope of his legal duties he compromised the impartiality of our judicial system.” Both resolutions seem to have been inspired by Musk’s own insane assertions about Engelmayer’s exercise of judicial authority. (“A corrupt judge protecting corruption,” Musk posted. “He needs to be impeached NOW!”) Trump himself added fuel to the fire, declaring from the Oval Office “It seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption.” Trump added “It seems hard to believe that a judge could say ‘We don’t want you to do that,’ so maybe we have to look at the judges because I think that’s a very serious violation.” he’d realize there are three equal branches of government and that we have laws in this country that must be followed no matter who is in charge.” The editorial board of the Wisconsin State Journal also rang up the congressman, in a February 23 editorial titled “Derrick Van Orden’s impeachment ploy is absurd claims Engelmayer “may have” acted with political intent which it called a “new and incredibly low standard for impeachment” under which “any judge in the country could be similarly targeted for removal from the bench.” “Van Orden’s grandstanding,” the State Journal warned “will erode the integrity of our judiciary and threaten the rule of law.” It urged voters in his western Wisconsin district to “remember Van Orden’s rash impeachment ploy the next time he seeks their votes.” Hope springs eternal—or at least once every two years Share The Bulwark IN 2023, WHEN THE STORY BROKE about Van Orden’s verbal assault on teenage Senate pages in the Capitol, he told a reporter—by way of framing the issue in a way that made his own disgusting behavior seem honorable—that the Rotunda had been used as a field hospital during the Civil War “I would think that I’d be terribly disrespectful to lay on the grave of a soldier that died fighting for freedom,” he said Van Orden’s comments prompted Pocan to tweet: “Wonder if he told that to his fellow insurrectionists who were beating police officers on the same ground?” “I do not support pardoning people who assaulted our police officers.” First of all, it should be noted this bold declaration of nonsupport for cop beaters came only after the advocacy group Courage for America ran an ad in daily newspapers in Van Orden’s district urging his constituents to “CALL CONGRESSMAN VAN ORDEN TODAY AND DEMAND HE OPPOSE THE PARDONING OF ANY JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTIONISTS.” Moreover, Van Orden’s comment was in no way a repudiation of Trump’s decision to pardon even the most violent participants in what the newly reinstalled president has rebranded as “a day of love.” Van Orden went on to say in that very same Journal Sentinel article that he “fully” supports pardons for those who “non-violently” entered the Capitol (perhaps by climbing through smashed windows) he thinks those convicted of committing violence against police should have their sentences commuted “Gotta be very clear here,” Van Orden is quoted as saying “The folks that assaulted police officers sentences should have been commuted years ago to match an equivalent crime from anywhere around the country.” This is the essence and extent of Van Orden’s purportedly courageous criticism of Trump for turning loose the hooligans who brutalized law enforcement It is actually an affirmation of his belief that they all should be released to receive their heroes’ welcome Wisconsin deserves better than to be affiliated with this awful man Derrick Van Orden does not know how to make them Share and a single Van Orden resolution received agreement in the House: It encourages all Americans to \u201Cengage with veterans.\u201D A legislative titan he is not Thom Tillis (R-N.C.): \u201CThis 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.\u201D Apologize, Van Orden did not. Instead, he issued a statement bizarrely accusing the pages of \u201Cthreatening a congressman with bad press to excuse poor behavior,\u201D adding bad press has never bothered me and if it\u2019s the price I pay to stand up for what\u2019s right Van Orden was similarly bereft of contrition in 2021 when he upbraided a 17-year-old girl who was working at a public library in his district in western Wisconsin he had his finger jabbing into [the book] constantly,\u201D the girl told the local paper \u201CHe was full-on shouting at this point and he kept aggressively shoving the books around.\u201D Again, true to form, Van Orden could not muster an apology, instead issuing a statement in which he claimed the moral high ground: \u201CThere are people who continue to divide us as Americans for political purposes,\u201D he wrote \u201CI will not allow them to further degrade the relationships we have as citizens.\u201D part of a pattern: Van Orden\u2019s deplorable behavior \u201Cis always excusable and never his fault.\u201D for saying \u201Cthe jury verdict should be respected.\u201D Van Orden quote-tweeted Hutchinson to broadcast his reply: \u201CYou have just permanently disgraced yourself and destroyed any positive legacy you had A few days ago, on February 21, Van Orden posted on X the image of a very large shirtless man in overalls shopping at Walmart a fellow member of the state\u2019s congressional delegation and Van Orden\u2019s nemesis He writes: \u201CHe has to go incognito because all of the farmers just love him for the zero work he has done for them.\u201D I\u2019ll spare you the image although it\u2019s available at the link above \u201CReal Wisconsin has no use for scrubs like you.\u201D \u201CWhat a pathetic piece of shit you are.\u201D \u201C[D]oes your permanent disability from the military relate to being a fucking asshole?\u201D Fuck you Derrick you disgrace to Wisconsin.\u201D You were not voted in office to do this.\u201D \u201CYou are a fricking disgrace as a representative!!\u201D Debate him like a normal human being or shut the fuck up and drown yourself in your booze.\u201D Three days later, this is what the congressman posted in response to someone who suggested he should consider \u201Cpushing back from alcohol\u201D: I\u2019m even sorrier that this is not the most outrageous work product to issue from Van Orden in recent days ON FEBRUARY 18, VAN ORDEN introduced a House resolution calling for the impeachment of U.S District Judge Paul Engelmayer of New York for \u201Chigh crimes and misdemeanors.\u201D Engelmayer\u2019s offense? He temporarily blocked members of co-President Elon Musk\u2019s DOGE team from accessing Treasury Department records on millions of Americans The resolution says Engelmayer, a former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall who was appointed to the federal bench for the Southern District of New York by President Barack Obama \u201Cengaged in judicial misconduct when he halted President Donald J Trump\u2019s Executive order establishing and implementing the President\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency on purely political grounds demonstrating clear bias and prejudice against the President and the 74,000,000 Americans who voted for him.\u201D Actually, Trump was elected last November with more than 77 million votes. The error has been pointed out but not corrected Van Orden followed his resolution with a post on Musk\u2019s social media site X \u201CThe time for Judicial Activism is over,\u201D he proclaimed \u201CThe American people gave @realDonaldTrump a mandate and no politician disguised as a jurist will interfere with it.\u201D Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) introduced his own resolution to impeach Engelmayer a few days later alleging that \u201Cby making a political decision outside the scope of his legal duties he compromised the impartiality of our judicial system.\u201D Both resolutions seem to have been inspired by Musk\u2019s own insane assertions about Engelmayer\u2019s exercise of judicial authority. (\u201CA corrupt judge protecting corruption,\u201D Musk posted. \u201CHe needs to be impeached NOW!\u201D) Trump himself added fuel to the fire, declaring from the Oval Office \u201CIt seems hard to believe that judges want to try and stop us from looking for corruption.\u201D Trump added \u201CIt seems hard to believe that a judge could say \u2018We don\u2019t want you to do that,\u2019 so maybe we have to look at the judges because I think that\u2019s a very serious violation.\u201D he\u2019d realize there are three equal branches of government and that we have laws in this country that must be followed no matter who is in charge.\u201D The editorial board of the Wisconsin State Journal also rang up the congressman, in a February 23 editorial titled \u201CDerrick Van Orden\u2019s impeachment ploy is absurd dangerous.\u201D Van Orden\u2019s resolution claims Engelmayer \u201Cmay have\u201D acted with political intent which it called a \u201Cnew and incredibly low standard for impeachment\u201D under which \u201Cany judge in the country could be similarly targeted for removal from the bench.\u201D \u201CVan Orden\u2019s grandstanding,\u201D the State Journal warned \u201Cwill erode the integrity of our judiciary and threaten the rule of law.\u201D It urged voters in his western Wisconsin district to \u201Cremember Van Orden\u2019s rash impeachment ploy the next time he seeks their votes.\u201D Hope springs eternal\u2014or at least once every two years Share The Bulwark IN 2023, WHEN THE STORY BROKE about Van Orden\u2019s verbal assault on teenage Senate pages in the Capitol, he told a reporter\u2014by way of framing the issue in a way that made his own disgusting behavior seem honorable\u2014that the Rotunda had been used as a field hospital during the Civil War \u201CI would think that I\u2019d be terribly disrespectful to lay on the grave of a soldier that died fighting for freedom,\u201D he said Van Orden\u2019s comments prompted Pocan to tweet: \u201CWonder if he told that to his fellow insurrectionists who were beating police officers on the same ground?\u201D \u201CI do not support pardoning people who assaulted our police officers.\u201D First of all, it should be noted this bold declaration of nonsupport for cop beaters came only after the advocacy group Courage for America ran an ad in daily newspapers in Van Orden\u2019s district urging his constituents to \u201CCALL CONGRESSMAN VAN ORDEN TODAY AND DEMAND HE OPPOSE THE PARDONING OF ANY JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTIONISTS.\u201D Moreover, Van Orden\u2019s comment was in no way a repudiation of Trump\u2019s decision to pardon even the most violent participants in what the newly reinstalled president has rebranded as \u201Ca day of love.\u201D Van Orden went on to say that he \u201Cfully\u201D supports pardons for those who \u201Cnon-violently\u201D entered the Capitol (perhaps by climbing through smashed windows) \u201CGotta be very clear here,\u201D Van Orden is quoted as saying \u201CThe folks that assaulted police officers sentences should have been commuted years ago to match an equivalent crime from anywhere around the country.\u201D This is the essence and extent of Van Orden\u2019s purportedly courageous criticism of Trump for turning loose the hooligans who brutalized law enforcement It is actually an affirmation of his belief that they all should be released to receive their heroes\u2019 welcome Share WASHINGTON – Rebecca Cooke is hoping the third time really is the charm The Eau Claire Democrat will launch another campaign to unseat Republican U.S Derrick Van Orden in the state’s 3rd Congressional District after losing her previous bid by just under three points this past November It will be her third consecutive run for the western Wisconsin House seat “I think there needs to be a check on this administration’s worst instincts and Derrick Van Orden is somebody that is like a talking head for those folks,” Cooke told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week “I think that we need to hold people accountable and really put their feet to the fire.” She plans to formally announce her campaign at a farm in Chippewa Falls on Tuesday morning The move officially kicks off the 2026 race for Wisconsin’s tightest battleground district who fell to Van Orden by about 2.8 points last cycle but ran ahead of the top of her ticket in the process is the only Democrat to announce a run so far She first ran for the seat in 2022 but placed second in the Democratic primary that year More: Tony Evers slams congressional Republicans for not pushing back on Trump tariffs Cooke campaigned as a moderate Democrat seeking to take on “Big Ag” and make health care more accessible “I think there’s just a finer point to that and I know they’re not going to get better,” she said of her top campaign issues Another factor motivating Cooke is her performance this past November She gained about 9,000 more raw votes in the district than former Vice President Kamala Harris who lost the 3rd District to President Donald Trump by 7.4 points and about 5,000 more votes than Democratic U.S who lost the region to Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde by about 4 points have noted Van Orden defeated Cooke in 2024 by a nearly identical margin to his victory over Democratic state Sen Brad Pfaff in 2022 — about 11,000 votes — despite a higher turnout last year A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee this week called Cooke “a deeply radical and sleazy political activist who remains out-of-touch with Western Wisconsin.” “Wisconsinites rejected proven loser Rebecca Cooke last year and will do the same in 2026,” said Zach Bannon Still, some Democrats have pointed to Cooke’s November performance as evidence the district is in play for the party in 2026. Top national Democratic groups like House Majority PAC have signaled they’ll continue to focus on the 3rd Congressional District after spending millions more than their Republican counterparts there in 2024 Will other Democrats run in the 3rd District?The looming question now is whether other Democrats plan to jump into the race Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge told the Journal Sentinel this week she is seriously considering a run but no other Wisconsin Democrat has publicly expressed interest in running for the seat who defeated Cooke in the 2022 Democratic primary told the Journal Sentinel that the Onalaska Democrat initially ruled out another run for the district but has since received encouragement to mount a new campaign from others in the party who lost to Cooke in last year’s heated Democratic primary Cooke is seen as a front-runner in the race “When someone comes off of a strong race and is able to raise a lot of money and get a lot of endorsements they clearly are in the lead position to run,” said Democratic U.S one of Van Orden’s loudest detractors who initially supported Shankland last cycle “I understand people want to have their strongest candidate forward,” Pocan said “I think Becca proved to be a strong candidate.” This week, Cooke said Democratic unity will be “critically important” in 2026, noting she spent millions in last year's bitter Democratic primary that saw Cooke and Shankland trade public jabs She slammed Van Orden for not scheduling in-person town halls to hear from constituents and said getting into the race early “allows us to check him and to check this administration.” “It takes time to build a movement,” Cooke said “And it’s something that we’ve been doing for some time.” Tim Walz will visit Eau Claire next week to rally Democrats ahead of key elections this year and next.Walz the Democratic Party’s candidate for vice president last year aims to rally support for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford while at the same time criticize Republican U.S Derrick Van Orden for ending in-person town halls Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler called the April 1 Supreme Court race “one of the first opportunities to fight back against Elon Musk’s attacks on our livelihoods and our democracy” by rejecting former GOP attorney general Schimel.“Wisconsin Democrats are thrilled to welcome Gov Tim Walz back to Eau Claire for our next People v Musk town hall event to highlight Musk’s multi-million dollar influence in this race,” Wikler said “While Republican politicians like Derrick Van Orden might be too chicken to face constituents Democrats are showing up—and with the help of our neighbor Gov we’re fighting back.”Van Orden’s district is one of around a dozen seats Democrats are focused on flipping as they try to regain control of the U.S Walz’s appearance comes just months after he was crisscrossing Wisconsin as Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ running mate Van Orden’s spokesperson and the state GOP didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Walz’s visit.  I have dedicated my life to public service Navy at 18 and had the honor to serve our great nation for 26 years retiring as a Navy SEAL senior chief with multiple combat tours and deployments Sara Jane and I raised our four children on a single enlisted salary but what was galling was that as I was being shot at in combat Sara Jane was using WIC coupons to feed our children Opinion: Rebecca Cooke: I understand your struggles, I waitress while running for Congress If I were an enlisted member of the military today I do not know how we could make it as a family due to the out-of-control spending by the Biden administration that has led to an across-the-board 20% increase in the cost of everyday items and it is simply just more difficult for Wisconsinites to get by now than it was four years ago No hardworking American should worry about how they will put food on the table for their families which is why I have worked to lower prices at the grocery store and the gas pump during my time in Congress and will continue those efforts should I be re-elected to serve the people of the 3rd District out-of-control government spending is a key contributor to the inflation tax placed on Wisconsinites Rather than tax and spend our way out of inflation I am committed to sound economic policies that bring transparency and accountability back to Washington 3746) – a bipartisan bill that reduces the federal deficit by $2.1 trillion I also introduced two pieces of legislation to fix Washington’s spending problem: one to prohibit members of Congress from receiving a paycheck during a government shutdown and another prohibiting Congress from incurring more debt than revenue each fiscal year and requiring a balanced budget within 10 years which empowers adversarial nations like Russia and Iran to push unrealistic “green” energy policies — the same policies Cooke supports America has some of the cleanest, safest, most efficient energy-producing technologies in the world. We should be bolstering American energy production rather than diminishing it. One of the most important bills I voted on in my first months in Congress was the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R.1) which makes America energy independent again We must return to an America-first energy agenda — Wisconsin families cannot afford another four years without it started with the "Defund the Police" movement only compounds the issues we are facing today The crime sweeping our cities and towns here in Wisconsin and across the nation is shocking Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl that continues to pour over the open southern border over 200,000 migrant children have been lost into the United States after crossing the same open border My opponent continues to refuse to comment on this or the other crimes committed by these noncitizens This is not a Republican or Democratic issue Opinion: Derrick Van Orden: I just returned from the U.S.-Mexico border. What I saw should trouble us all. I have the utmost respect for our law enforcement officers and first responders They are the first ones to respond to crises and often risk their lives to keep us safe it is an absolute necessity that we ensure they have the resources they need to do their jobs This includes better pay for police officers increased access to specialized trainings so they are equipped to properly handle various situations and ensuring they have access to the information they need to identify and respond to warning signs of violence We absolutely must keep criminals off the streets and prevent bad actors from obtaining firearms The Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have done the exact opposite I am committed to restoring law and order in our country and placing the safety of law-abiding innocent Americans above the criminals who have caused chaos and suffering for countless families In addition to equipping the police officers who serve our communities at large we also need schools staffed with school resource officers school resource officers are the first line of protection for students and staff There is no excuse to not have them in our schools many of the men and women I served with took their own lives so I personally understand more must be done to support those struggling with their mental health Increasing access to mental health resources is an absolute necessity folks may not have a local mental health provider making it difficult for those battling their mental health to get the help they need No one should be denied access to a potentially life-saving resource because they live on a farm or because their insurance plan will not cover mental health care That is why I have cosponsored legislation to expand Medicare coverage for mental health services and eliminate restrictions on mental health care provided through telehealth By increasing access to these critical services folks will be able to get the help and support they need and hopefully prevent them from making a life-ending decision and this has been exacerbated by the HSHS and Prevea Health closures earlier this year I was given a one hour notice before the announcement became public and I immediately contacted local officials and health care providers to get information on the situation so we can work together to establish alternative health care options in western Wisconsin It has been a priority for me to stay informed by these individuals at the local level who are on the ground every day and know exactly what needs to be done to mitigate a health care blackout in the 3rd District and supported multiple pieces of legislation to improve health care access for rural America through increased funding and removing the 35-mile radius for the designation as a critical access hospital These efforts are within the purview of the federal government Cooke does not appear to understand the difference between the roles of local This is incredibly dangerous as we cannot maximize the use of resources if we do not even have the most basic understanding of government I believe every American should have access to affordable and we must protect them and others most in need Just because we live in rural Wisconsin does not mean we should have less access to medical care Following the announcement of the HSHS and Prevea Health closures I introduced a bill that will allow states to request waivers on restrictions to establishing a new medical facility if a small hospital closes in a rural area These closures highlighted the need for expanded telehealth access which is why I co-introduced a bill to permanently extend telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics Vulnerable individuals like those with disabilities and chronic illnesses are routinely discriminated against in health care coverage through the use of quality adjusted life years in federal programs. This is unacceptable. The federal government should not be deciding who is more worthy of care than others. That is why I voted for the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act (H.R 485) to prohibit QALYs from being used in all federal health care programs increases price transparency throughout the health care system expands access to more affordable generic prescription medications and preserves Medicaid for hospitals that take care of uninsured and low-income patients she wants the federal government to abolish private health care and move to a single payer system This is the worst possible option and will destroy Americans' access to quality care Wisconsinites and Americans across the nation are struggling health care costs or any other kitchen table issue no one can confidently say they are better off today than they were four years ago but not with individuals like Kamala Harris and Rebecca Cooke in charge I am committed to ensuring our nation’s prosperity and security I will work to help families keep more of their paychecks support our police and border patrol agents so our communities are safe set our farmers and agriculture producers up for success stand up for our service members and veterans and improve health care access and educational opportunities for the great people of Wisconsin I promise to deliver real results and return our country back to greatness Derrick Van Orden, a Republican, is seeking reelection in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District Full text of essay questions for Wisconsin U.S House candidatesAlthough the topline inflation rate has fallen (standing at 2.9% in July from its 9.1% peak in 2022) the bottom line is that Wisconsin families continue to feel the pinch of higher prices One of the starkest findings from the WisconSays survey is that 53% of people in the state are not certain they can find $400 in an emergency What specific legislation do you support to lower inflation and keep it from spiking again Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens In America What would you propose to reverse this disturbing reality there have been 30 mass killings in the U.S What legislation would you support to curb mass shootings Death by suicide is a significant factor in gun violence Firearms are the most common means of suicide Do you support red flag laws or similar measures that establish a process for judges to remove firearms from individuals with mental health conditions two hospitals (in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls) and 19 clinics closed in western Wisconsin The Marshfield Clinic Healthcare System instituted staff furloughs earlier this year Health care systems cite staffing difficulties inadequate Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements higher costs and declining rates of patients with private insurance How would you propose to tackle this problem Health insurance premiums continue to rise at double-digit percentages What can be done to make health care more affordable for Wisconsin families?