12-term incumbent Rep. Ron Kind is projected to defeat Republican Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District
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Democratic Rep. Ron Kind is projected to win against Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District.
The district is in southwestern Wisconsin along the state's border with Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Van Orden said he was spurred to run for office after Kind voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
Polls began closing in the district at 8 p.m. local time.
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The 12-term incumbent Rep. Ron Kind is projected to retain his House seat against his Republican challenger, Derrick Van Orden, in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, Insider and Decision Desk HQ can report.
The candidates
Kind, an attorney and former special prosecutor for the La Crosse County Prosecutor's Office, has held his position in the House of Representatives since 1996.
He sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means and previously sat on the Natural Resources Committee for 14 years. Kind's 2020 campaign platform centered on providing affordable healthcare to Americans, restoring fiscal accountability in Congress, and lowering the costs of education.
Kind is also a member and previously served as the chairman of the House's New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats who support fiscally responsible policies and bipartisanship in Congress. He voted against Rep. Nancy Pelosi's bid for House speaker in 2019.
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Van Orden is a military veteran and Navy SEAL of 26 years. Since retiring from the military, Van Orden has acted and written a book about his experiences in the military. He said he was inspired to run for office after Kind voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
Van Orden's campaign platform focused on rebuilding Wisconsin's economy, fully funding police forces, and protecting farming and agricultural communities in Wisconsin and around the country.
The district
The 3rd District is in southwestern Wisconsin along its border with Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. The district includes the cities of La Crosse, Eau Claire, and much of the Wisconsin side of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro region.
The district is also home to the counties of Adams, Buffalo, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, La Crosse, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Trempealeau, and Vernon, as well as portions of Chippewa, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe, Richland, and Wood counties.
The 3rd District flipped from voting for President Barack Obama by 11 points in 2012 to backing Trump by 4 points in 2016.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Kind raised over $2.5 million this cycle, spent over $3.9 million, and had about $936,000 in cash on hand, while Van Orden raised nearly $1.8 million, spent $1.7 million, and had about $66,000 in cash on hand.
What the experts said
The race between Kind and Van Orden was rated as "leans Democratic" by The Cook Political Report, "likely Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and "safe Democratic" by Inside Elections.
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