Van Orden discusses win, what's next in Congress
EAU CLAIRE — U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, said he feels like he's just started to hit his stride in Congress, and he's eager for the next session to begin.
"There isn't a book on how to do it," Van Orden said during a Zoom press conference call Thursday with area media. "I really feel I'm hitting on my stride and being able to do good, detailed analysis."
In an unofficial count, Van Orden received 211,696 votes (51.4%) of the vote Tuesday in his Third Congressional District race, beating Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke, who received 200,556 (48.6%) of the vote. Van Orden was elected in 2022 and is headed back to Congress for his second term.
"What happened on (Tuesday) was remarkable," Van Orden said. "The Republican Party has been given a mandate by the American people. We took the Senate back, and I'm very, very confident we will hold the House, and grow the majority."
Van Orden said he wishes Cooke the very best in her future.
"She called me and conceded the race," Van Orden said. "I told her directly that if she has anything she can see from her perspective, to please bring it to my attention. I'm more than willing to work with her. I want all the people who voted for Rebecca Cooke to know, I will work for them equally, (the same) as the people who went to my watch party."
Van Orden said it is important to remember that we're all Americans.
"These Democrats are not our enemies. They aren't. They are our fellow Americans who look at the world in a different perspective," he said.
Van Orden said they are making plans to be "hitting the ground running in January."
"We'll have a unified government, knock on wood," he said. "With a unified government, we can all sit down and work together. My primary effort will be, when I get back to DC, is making sure we get the Farm Bill done."
He added: "The reason the Farm Bill isn't done is because (New York U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer hasn't given us the text of the bill."
Along with focusing on the Farm Bill, Van Orden said he wants to focus on changes to the Department of Veteran Affairs to bring more focus on veterans and getting them the care they need.
Van Orden has said for months that this race was about gas, grandchildren and groceries, meaning, people were struggling to pay to fill their car and buy their food on the same day because of rising prices, and those issues mattered to voters in the district.
He is proud of the work he's done in his first term.
"Sixty-nine percent of all of my legislative work has been bipartisan," he said. "If it made sense, we would do it. I have a rock solid record of bipartisan work."
When asked about carrying 16 of the 19 counties, he joked that he expected a clean sweep, but added he knows there are more moderate and liberal areas of the district. He didn't win Eau Claire, La Crosse and Portage counties.
"When you're working together, you can get things done," he said.
