Derrick Van Orden

After retiring from the Navy, Derrick Van Orden and his wife, Sara Jane, reopened the Butternut Cafe, adding restaurant work to a résumé that also includes acting in Act of Valor.¹ The couple raised four children and are grandparents.² He grew up with his brother and their mother, Carol, in a rural household he describes as poor.¹

Van Orden enlisted at 18 and served from 1988 to 2014, retiring as a Navy SEAL senior chief.³² His campaign biography reports five combat deployments, including service in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and Afghanistan; his official biography also describes missions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.¹²

He also earned a bachelor's degree from Excelsior University and attended law school before seeking office.³¹ First elected in 2022 after an unsuccessful 2020 campaign, he now serves on the Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services committees.³² His legislation includes the Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement Act, which passed the House in February 2026 and was referred to the Senate veterans committee.⁴ Its provisions include expanded flight training eligibility and additional outreach for veterans seeking education and employment support.⁵

Van Orden is seeking another term against Democrat Rebecca Cooke while defending Trump's agenda and emphasizing farm legislation, veterans' programs and border enforcement.⁶ He and Cooke both oppose a proposed major transmission line and express concern about large data centers, but differ sharply over federal health, trade and military policy.⁶