In his latest TV ad, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, says “socialists are trying to tear our country apart.”
The 30-second spot, running in the La Crosse and Eau Claire media markets, opens in a garage with a tractor in the background as Van Orden is pictured holding a handgun.
“Some things are worth fighting for: faith, family, freedom and the Second Amendment to protect them all. That’s what got me through my combat tours,” Van Orden says.
A bible and a photograph of Van Orden, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, in uniform are shown.
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Van Orden goes on to say socialists “like Rebecca Cooke” are “trying to tear our country apart.”
The ad then shows footage of Cooke at an event last year being asked who she would support for New York City mayor if she lived in the city. Cooke responds that she would support now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Only a radical would endorse Mamdani,” Van Orden says. “I fought extremists overseas as a Navy SEAL, but now they are here.”
