Wisconsin third congressional district Republican candidate Derrick Van Orden announced on Tuesday that he raised more than $500,000 in the second quarter of 2020.
Van Orden hopes to unseat Rep. Ron Kind during the 2020 congressional elections. He represents one of the 30 congressional districts that President Donald Trump won during the 2016 presidential election but House Democrats managed to win during the 2018 midterm elections.
Van is a retired Navy Seal with five combat deployments. He is also the author of A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood. The Wisconsin conservative has also appeared in three movies, including, Act of Valor, Azadeh, and Surviving the Wild.
Van Orden’s campaign said in a press release on Tuesday that the Wisconsin conservative’s fundraising of more than half a million dollars signifies strong momentum for Republicans in the district.
Van Orden’s campaign said that they had received donations from all of Wisconsin’s third congressional district as well as 71 out of the 72 Wisconsin counties.
Van Orden said that his fundraising haul shows that Wisconsinites want to replace Kind in November. He said in a statement on Tuesday:
The support my campaign has received is a reflection of the sincere desire for change in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. For too long, constituents of this district have been toyed with and lied to by Ron Kind for his own gain, and I’m running to end that. The people of Wisconsin know that I don’t take action because it’s politically convenient. I take action because it’s the right thing to do.
Van Orden told Breitbart News’s Kyle Olson in April that American needs men and women of action to protect the country’s rights.
“We didn’t come from meek, timid men and women. Bold men and women started this country, and it’s time to stand up again,” Van Orden said.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.