Republican, U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 3rd district
Now: U.S. Representative, District 3 since 2023 verified October 12, 2026 · source (opens in a new tab)
On your ballot U.S. House, District 3, Wisconsin, In office (Columbia County Clerk's list (opens in a new tab), verified October 15, 2026)
Photo: U.S. House of Representatives, public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), cropped.
Checked · How the record reads leaders · Report a change · Corrections
Of 6 statements on the record, 5 raised concerns about data centers and 1 carries no label.
Labels are applied by the record's published rules: two readings of each statement, and a third that reads its source where the two differ. Every label sits beside its statement and its source, and any label can be challenged through Report a change, with the correction logged on the corrections page.
What they said
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Derrick Van Orden voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which included tax breaks for data center developers.
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 25, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Yahoo (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: No label: the words are not clearly the speaker's own. Both readings of the statement held it.
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Derrick Van Orden claims Rebecca Cooke worked with Wisconsin Technology Council and Third Way and is responsible for data centers in Mount Pleasant and Beaver Dam
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 24, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- WEAU (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "Rebecca Cook is responsible for covering up pristine Wisconsin farmland to put these data centers there. And that's irresponsible".
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden stated that Wisconsin families should not be stuck paying higher utility bills to subsidize massive energy demands from data centers and that if a company needs massive amounts of power, Wisconsin families should not be left holding the bill
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 18, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- The Moore County News-Press (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "Wisconsin families should not be stuck paying higher utility bills to subsidize massive energy demands from data centers".
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden stated he believes local communities should have the final say on data centers and that productive farmland should not be used
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 18, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- The Center Square (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "local communities should have the final say on data centers and that productive farmland should not be used".
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Rep. Derrick Van Orden voted for the Ratepayer Protection Act requiring data center companies to pay the full cost of energy generation, transmission and distribution upgrades; stated Wisconsin families should not subsidize data center energy demands and that companies needing massive power should bear those costs
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source.
Where & When: September 18, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- The Center Square (opens in a new tab), national outlet
Label rationale: Both readings of the statement agreed. The words that set it: "Wisconsin families should not subsidize data center energy demands and that companies needing massive power should bear those costs".
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Congressman Derrick Van Orden voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which requires state utility regulators to ensure large load customers cover the full incremental costs of generation, transmission, and distribution upgrades
Context & source notes
Format & Provenance: Paraphrased from source. Label set by a tiebreak.
Where & When: September 17, 2026.
Primary Sources:
- Wisconsin Right Now (opens in a new tab), local outlet
Label rationale: A tiebreak: the two first readings differed, and a third reading of the statement and its source decided. The words that set it: "requires state utility regulators to ensure large load customers cover the full incremental costs of generation, transmission, and distribution upgrades".
How they voted
1 vote on data center measures: 0 in favor of data centers, 1 against.
| Measure | Roll call | What they did |
|---|---|---|
| H.R. 9340: Ratepayer Protection Act | U.S. House of Representatives, September 16, 2026 | Voted yes on a measure that limited data centers against |
Bill data from LegiScan (opens in a new tab), licensed CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab). The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.
Others in this race
- Rebecca Cooke Democratic · U.S. House, District 3 · the race page
- Alexander Valiensi Kent Independent · U.S. House, District 3 · the race page
- Rustin Provance Independent · U.S. House, District 3 · the race page
Something missing?
Know a sourced statement by Derrick Van Orden on data centers that is not here? Send the link. It goes to the record's inbox as a card routed to this person and publishes only after it is read against its source.
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Data Center Record, "Public statements by Derrick Van Orden", https://datacenterrecord.org/speakers/derrick-van-orden, last verified October 15, 2026.
Reusing this page
The structured rows are CC BY-NC 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
Last verified: October 12, 2026.