LACROSSE, Wis. – Western Wisconsin’s representative in Congress, Republican Derrick Van Orden, officially announced his run for a second term. The announcement was at his campaign headquarters, rented for 11 months at the Village Shopping Center strip mall in La Crosse. To date no other Republican has announced for the seat, which would give Van Orden a clear shot at the November general election ballot. Several Democrats are mounting challenges. To supporters at the campaign office, Van Orden stressed his role on the House agricultural committee and the veterans committee even though as a freshmen member of Congress he has had little sway. About the House being deadlocked by internal Republican rivalries, squabbles and vendettas, Van Orden said that his ambitions of accomplishment at the Capitol have fallen short: “They’re not doing anything. The federal government can actually be helpful, but you’ve got to work together. Politics is about addition, not subtraction.”
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Van Orden storefront. His LaCrosse campaign office. Elected in 2022 after earlier filed bid for the WI-3 seat in Congress.