Pfaff, Van Orden vie for state’s third congressional district seat

For the first time in 25 years, Wisconsin’s third district congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives will not be held by Ron Kind.

Instead Trempealeau County voters next Tuesday will choose between democratic candidate Brad Pfaff and republican candidate Derrick Van Orden.

The Times reached out to both campaigns with questions on their goals if elected, education and inflation.

Van Orden, a retired Navy Seal, did not respond to multiple interview requests from the Times, but his website indicates he would lobby for in-person education and wants veterans to have easier access to healthcare post-service. He also believes in keeping police departments fully funded, the site reads.

Van Orden ran for the same seat in 2020, losing to Kind in a tight race by just over 10,000 votes.

The republican is also a former small business owner in Butternut, Wis. Van Orden’s website reads that he wants to fight “Democrat tax hikes”, adding that he also believes in protecting the country’s borders–his website reads, “Without borders, we are by definition, not a nation.”

Pfaff, 54, currently serves as a state senator in Wisconsin’s 32nd district, which comprises parts of La Crosse, Vernon, Crawford and Monroe counties. He believes one of the biggest issues facing elected officials is finding a way to drive down everyday costs by bringing more jobs in manufacturing stateside.

“Costs have gone up, and the way that we drive down cost is that we invest in our supply chain. And how we invest in the supply chain is we invest in domestic manufacturing,” he said, adding that inflation is a concern.

Pfaff pointed to his time as a state senator, saying he helped invest in local food processing as well as technical schools to train and prepare workers for job opportunities while also focusing on broadband internet and roads.

Wisconsin needs to do more to help schools after the COVID pandemic, Pfaff said, especially in small, rural communities. If elected, that will be something he fights for, he told the Times.

“In the state of Wisconsin, we need to do more. As a state senator I have advocated to make sure that rural schools in western Wisconsin, including the schools in Trempealeau County, get more money through the school aid formula,” Pfaff said. “Right now it is distorted and the money is going to wealthy districts in southeastern Wisconsin, and it should be coming to the rural districts.”

The election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.