Momentum Builds for GOP Navy SEAL Derrick Van Orden as Ads Target Ron Kind

Navy SEAL and Republican congressional candidate Derrick Van Orden has seen an uptick in support in Wisconsin as advertisements have begun targeting his opponent, Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).

According to a report from Politico, the “Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP’s chief super PAC, will begin running ads on TV and digital platforms on Friday targeting Kind, a 12-term member who is one of 30 Democrats in districts that President Donald Trump carried in 2016.”

The ads are expected to cost a total of $2 million in the Fund’s effort to unseat Kind, who holds a district that Trump won by 4.5% in 2016.

In addition to the new ads, the race is gaining national attention from Trump, who hosted a tele-rally with Van Orden on Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence, who traveled to Eau Claire on Thursday, and Jill Biden, who joined a virtual roundtable with Kind this week.

So far, Van Orden has challenged Kind to three debates:

• Virtually on Wisconsin Public Radio
• Virtually through UW-La Crosse and their media partners
• In-person at La Crosse Loggers stadium as a fundraiser for law enforcement

Kind has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 1997.