Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican representing Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, announced late Tuesday that he will miss votes in Congress and reschedule an upcoming town hall due to a credible threat against his wife, children, and grandchildren. The threat, delivered via a letter to his Washington, D.C., office, has been reported to the appropriate authorities, according to a statement posted on X last night.
“No elected official, regardless of political party affiliation, should have to worry about the safety of their family while serving the American people,” Van Orden’s office said in the statement. The post called threats of political violence “anti-American” and attributed the incident to “increasingly radical and violent rhetoric fueled by far-left Democrats who encourage hatred rather than healthy discourse.”
Van Orden, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, actor, and politician, was born on September 15, 1969, in Minnesota. He joined the Navy at 18 in 1988 and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 1992. Elected to Congress in 2022, Van Orden succeeded longtime Democratic Rep. Ron Kind in a district that includes Eau Claire and La Crosse. His campaign focused heavily on his military service and economic issues and he was re-elected in 2024 on similar themes.
The threat comes amid heightened political tensions and a broader pattern of challenges for Republican members of Congress. Van Orden’s participation in town halls has drawn organized criticism from Democrats, notably Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin’s 2nd District. On March 9, 2025, Pocan hosted a packed “town hall” in Belmont, bordering Van Orden’s district, and publicly invited him to attend, which Van Orden declined. Pocan and attendees,
The Pocan event was part of a broader Democratic strategy to highlight GOP unresponsiveness, with similar “empty chair” town halls in Florida, as noted in The Guardian. The National Republican Congressional Committee advised GOP members to avoid in-person town halls, citing backlash over federal worker firings and budget cuts during Trump’s second term, with Trump suggesting “disruptors” be ejected, alleging paid infiltrators, as reported in The Guardian.
No additional details about the nature of the threat against Van Orden’s family were immediately available, and his office did not respond to requests for comment. The congressman expressed his intent to return to Washington soon to “do the job the people of Wisconsin’s Third District elected him to do.”
The threat to Van Orden’s family aligns with a documented surge in threats against members of Congress. U.S. Capitol Police data, as reported by Axios, shows 9,474 investigations into threats against members, their families, and staff in 2024, up 18.3% from 8,008 in 2023, marking the second-highest year on record, only surpassed by 2021 post-Jan. 6. Mother Jones reported that threats doubled in January and February 2025, coinciding with Senate consideration of Trump’s nominees, reflecting a volatile political climate. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, noted in The Guardian that Republicans fear crossing Trump due to threats to their families, requiring round-the-clock security.
Specific incidents include swatting, where police respond to hoax threats, becoming increasingly common, as detailed in NPR. Rep. Tim Burchett mentioned spending over $40,000 to secure his Tennessee farm, citing ongoing threats he couldn’t discuss, indicating the personal toll on lawmakers.
The incident underscores the growing challenges of political violence and intimidation in the U.S., a concern Van Orden said “every Member of Congress — Republican or Democrat — should fully condemn.”
Further information
• GovTrack.us legislative profile for Rep. Derrick Van Orden
• POLITICO report on surge in threats against Congress in 2024
• Mother Jones article on violent threats spiking in early 2025
• Axios data on threats against Congress members spiking in 2024
• The Guardian on Republicans fearing Trump due to family threats
• NPR on increasing swatting threats against Congress
