MADISON, Wis. — In a virtual press conference Thursday, re-elected U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, told reporters he learned a lot in his first term in Congress. He said he’s eager to take those lessons into a second term representing Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District in the nation’s capital. 

What You Need To Know

  • In a virtual press conference Thursday, re-elected U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, told reporters he learned a lot in his first term in Congress

  • Van Orden won in a narrow victory on Tuesday. The Third Congressional District includes the communities of Eau Claire, La Crosse and Stevens Point, and has remained a purple district

  • With a Republican president and a Republican-controlled Senate, Van Orden believes he’ll be better able to achieve his goals. As of publishing, the balance of power in the House of Representatives had yet to be determined as election results continue to trickle in around the country

  • Van Orden touted his track record of bipartisan legislation in his first term

“I learned really, truly how to legislate,” Van Orden said. “There’s no class on it. You get elected and you go up and there’s a tremendous amount of stuff you have to figure out.”

Van Orden won in a narrow victory on Tuesday. The Third Congressional District includes the communities of Eau Claire, La Crosse and Stevens Point, and has remained a purple district.

Van Orden said he has clear goals in mind for his second term. Those include passing a Farm Bill and improving access to health care for veterans.

“My primary concern as a member of the veterans affairs committee is that our veterans who served our nation honorably have every single benefit that we can give them,” he said. “To make sure that they’re taken care of and their families [are taken care of] through the life cycle of the veteran.”

With a Republican president and a Republican-controlled Senate, Van Orden believes he’ll be better able to achieve his goals. As of publishing, the balance of power in the House of Representatives had yet to be determined as election results continue to trickle in around the country.

“We took the Senate back and I’m very, very confident that we will hold, if not grow, the House majority,” he said. “So we’ll have a unified government, and we’re going to start getting this country back on track.”

Van Orden’s message post-Election Night was one of unity. He said that’s another lesson he learned in his first term, and one he wants to carry through to the next one.

“I learned that politics truly is a team sport,” Van Orden said. “When we were working together, you get things done. It takes volume in Congress.”

Van Orden touted his track record of bipartisan legislation in his first term.

He said that won’t change in his second term.

“These Democrats are not our enemies. They’re not. And for anybody to say that, it’s just foolish,” Van Orden said. “These Democrats are our fellow Americans that look at the world from a different perspective. And so if you got an American flag on your shoulder, I’m with you.”

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