MADISON – Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will hold a town hall-style event in La Crosse next week to campaign against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 and is considered a potential 2028 Democratic candidate, is characterizing the event as a response to the Trump administration’s policies.
“As Rep. Derrick Van Orden hides from his constituents and refuses to hold an in-person town hall, Pete will take questions and speak directly with Van Orden’s constituents about a better path forward for Wisconsin and the country,” a spokesman for Buttigieg said in a statement.
Van Orden, who represents the 3rd Congressional District in western Wisconsin, in a statement dismissed Buttigieg’s planned event for Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“Pete Buttigieg was the worst DOT secretary in the history of America who is starting his run for President in 2028. His party has voted 15 times to defund SNAP, WIC, the military, air traffic controllers, and $500,000,000 for rural healthcare here in Wisconsin,” he said. “I am not sure what he is going to talk about, but he should be spending time in DC trying to convince his party to open the government.”
Van Orden was first elected in 2022. He and Democrat Rebecca Cooke may be headed for a rematch in 2026, after Van Orden defeated Cooke in 2024. Cooke faces Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge in a Democratic primary.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pete Buttigieg to campaign against Derrick Van Orden in La Crosse
Reporting by Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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