Derrick Van Orden
Representative, WI-3 · Republican · Wisconsin
Derrick Van Orden is the Republican U.S. Representative for the swing WI-3 district, a retired Navy SEAL focused on agriculture, veterans, and border security.
Profile last updated Jul 7, 2026 · Center Field Politics
Scout's Report
A veteran and Trump-aligned Republican defending a competitive rural-and-driftless district.
Core Strength
Military background and an agriculture-and-veterans focus in a swing seat.
Core Weakness
Temperament controversies and a competitive district make each cycle close.
Recent Action
Focused on farm-bill priorities and border security in the 119th Congress.
Key Metrics
- Reliability
- 95%
- Documented Controversies
- 1
- Funding Secured
- $90M
- Outside Influence
- High
Roll-call or session participation — did they show up?
Official ethics findings or court records only.
Federal appropriations directed to WI-3 (absolute).
Derived from PAC and outside-spending share of campaign funding.
Where They Stand
Stances on the issues many voters care most about. Where a candidate has not given a clear answer we mark it "Mixed / Partial" or "Unclear" rather than guess. Positions are drawn from official records and bias-labeled news sources; they are descriptive only and are never scored.
Environment—Opposes4
Climate protections and regulation versus fewer climate-related regulations on industry.
Opposes aggressive climate mandates; supports agriculture and an all-of-the-above energy mix.
Healthcare—Opposes4
Expanding healthcare coverage for all versus expanding market-based, private insurance.
Opposes single-payer; favors market-based coverage.
Second Amendment—Opposes4
New firearm regulations versus no new firearm regulations.
A strong gun-rights supporter opposing new restrictions.
Immigration—Opposes45
Pathways to citizenship versus a closed-border approach.
Supports strict border enforcement.
Roe v. Wade—Opposes4
Protecting access to abortion versus restricting access to abortion.
Generally supports abortion restrictions, with exceptions.
National Security—Mixed / Partial4
Whether diplomacy or military strength should be the primary national-security priority.
A veteran who supports a strong defense while cautioning against open-ended wars.
Campaign Funding
Raised $6.2M for the 2024 cycle, with $4.0M in outside spending supporting them. Outside influence read: high; opacity proxy 39%.
Total raised (cycle 2024): $6,200,000 · Outside influence: High
Party Loyalty
Party-line alignment on major recorded votes.
Votes with Republican leadership on most major bills but emphasizes bipartisan agriculture and veterans work for his district.
On the 2026 Ballot
Sources
- Congress.gov — Derrick Van Orden
- GovTrack — Rep. Derrick Van Orden voting record
- AP — Wisconsin policy coverage
- Ballotpedia — Derrick Van Orden political positions
- Congress.gov — H.R. 2, Secure the Border Act (118th Congress)
- Congress.gov — H.R. 29, Laken Riley Act
- Human Rights Watch — Asylum restriction concerns
- Wisconsin Democratic Party — Statement on Van Orden
- FEC — Campaign finance (Q2 2026 filing (WI-3 reelection))