A Donald Trump-endorsed House candidate, Derrick Van Orden, was in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 as rioters stormed the Capitol. It’s possible that the next time a joint session of Congress meets to certify Electoral College votes in 2025, Van Orden will be a House member participating in the process.
Van Orden, a Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, says he was in Washington as Trump and his supporters tried to overturn the then-president’s 2020 loss to Biden. The efforts, which resulted in charges against more than 700 people, were a bid to stop the Electoral College’s counting procedures that made Biden the next president.
Critics contend Van Orden was on the Capitol grounds, a claim bolstered by photographs of him in a restricted area of Capitol grounds during the riot.
Van Orden, a Navy SEAL veteran, is running for a seat held by Rep. Ron Kind, who is among the House Democrats who will not seek reelection this fall. Van Orden was the Republican nominee in the district in 2020 and came close to defeating the longtime congressman.
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Van Orden initially acknowledged attending a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6, but claimed he did not enter the Capitol grounds on the day a mob stormed the building, delaying certification of the 2020 election results for several hours.
The Daily Beast reported that Van Orden also used leftover funds from his failed campaign for his travel to Washington for the day’s events, in possible violation of Federal Election Commission regulations.
A spokesperson for the Van Orden campaign told the Washington Examiner that the candidate has “publicly denounced all forms of political violence” and pointed to an op-ed he wrote the week after the riot saying he traveled to Washington “for meetings and to stand for the integrity of our electoral system.”
The race in the 3rd District is expected to be competitive, even as the redistricting process could alter its current configuration, covering the southwest part of Wisconsin, along with Minnesota and Iowa state lines. House Republicans view it as a prime pickup opportunity as they seek to win back a House majority they lost in 2018.
But the ambiguity surrounding Van Orden’s actions that day is already making an impact on the race as critics argue someone tied to the events of Jan. 6 should not serve in Congress, where they would have a role certifying future elections.
State Sen. Brad Pfaff, one of the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District, recently launched an ad campaign labeling Van Orden an “insurrectionist.”
“I do not believe that someone that was on the Capitol grounds on January 6th should be sworn in as a member of Congress and representing this area,” Pfaff told WIZM earlier this month.
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Democratic Party of Wisconsin interim Executive Director Devin Remiker told the Washington Examiner in a written statement that on Jan. 6, “Derrick Van Orden crossed police barricades, entered a restricted area on Capitol grounds, and watched, for entertainment, as insurrectionists unleashed a deadly attack on our democracy.”
“Van Orden used campaign funds, potentially in violation of federal law, to bankroll his trip to Washington so he could participate in the rally that ended with a violent mob attempting to kidnap the vice president and overturn the will of Wisconsin voters,” Remiker said. “He has continued to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and obfuscate his involvement in the insurrection.”
