From Bob Gates

Platteville

To the Editor:

Derrick Van Orden has represented Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District since January of 2023, yet he has done little to show that he cares about his constituents. In fact, he has not held one traditional in-person town hall meeting and most of what we know of him is a result of his inappropriate behavior.

Even before taking office, Van Orden embarrassed Wisconsinites by appearing on restricted Capitol grounds during the January 6 riots. As a member of Congress, he continued his childish behavior by heckling the president during a State of the Union address, and he infamously used severe profanity toward a group of teenage interns who were merely lying on the floor of the state capitol after hours to take photos of the ceiling. Although empty alcohol bottles were found in Van Orden’s office at the time of this incident, he denies being intoxicated. He has used similar language during committee proceedings and has confronted and insulted fellow representatives and members of the press.

More recently, Van Orden has turned his unseemly conduct toward his opponent in the 2026 Congressional race, Rebecca Cooke. Specifically, he has made AI-generated social media posts using made-up dialogue and images of Cooke. If not illegal, these posts are certainly unethical. He has also called her names during television ads and refers to her as a “socialist” and a “radical.” For someone who is a self-proclaimed Blue Dog Democrat and whose policies focus on working families, affordable healthcare, and independent farms, those terms are ridiculous. Finally, his brandishing a pistol and stating that “Some things are worth fighting for” during a campaign ad is simply macho posturing. One would think that after serving two terms in Congress Van Orden would use his ads to tout his legislative accomplishments. There is a reason that he doesn’t.

Derrick Van Orden has spent three years showing us how a member of Congress should not behave. The citizens of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District deserve better, and we will get that by electing Rebecca Cooke in November. It’s time for WI-03 to have a representative we can be proud of!