Max donors (so far) to Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Republican of western Wisconsin

The U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, a major Silicon Valley billionaire and many others have given Van Orden the maximum donation allowed in this election cycle.

By Gus Pirlot and Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT

The 3rd Congressional District in western Wisconsin, which stretches from Platteville through La Crosse and includes Eau Claire and Stevens Point, is one of the most competitive in the state, and major cash is flowing in from both sides to try and win it.

A Democrat held the U.S. House district for nearly three decades until he retired and the current holder, Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, won the seat in 2022. Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024, and hopes to knock him off in this year’s rematch.

The most an individual can donate to a candidate for federal office in the 2026 cycle is $7,000 – $3,500 each for the primary and the general – and max donations are pouring into both campaigns from in-state and out.

Van Orden reported raising more than $7.5 million at the July 22 deadline. Cooke reported raising more than $8.6 million in the same timeframe.

Below is a list of people who have given Van Orden the max donation (so far) in this election cycle.

NAME	CITY	NOTES
ANWAR, S. JAVAID	MIDLAND, TX	CEO of Midland Energy, an oil and natural gas company
BERRY, ROBERT	MARISSA, IL	Retired
BRADLEY, JACQUELINE	KESWICK, VA	Retired
BURNS, MICHAEL J.	WEST PALM BEACH, FL	Retired
CAMERON, RONALD M.	LITTLE ROCK, AR	Owner and chairman of Mountaire Farms, the 4th-largest chicken producer in the US
CHOUEST, CAROLYN A.	GALLIANO, LA	Wife of Gary Chouest
CHOUEST, GARY	GALLIANO, LA	Owner and president of Edison Chouest Offshore, a marine transport corporation
DAVIES, PAUL LEW	DALLAS, TX	Managing Principal of the Cambria Group, a private equity firm
DRESNER, LINDA	BIRMINGHAM, MI	Retired
DUNN, TIMOTHY M.	MIDLAND, TX	CEO of CrownQuest Operating, an oil and gas company
FAVRE, ART E.	BATON ROUGE, LA	Founder of Performance Contractors, Inc., a construction company
FOX, SAUL	MIAMI BEACH, FL	Founder of Fox Paine & Company, a private equity firm
GILLIAM, RICHARD	CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	Founder of Cumberland Resources, a coal extractor
GRANTHAM, JONELLE L.	HOOVER, AL	Retired
GREGORY, BEVERLY	WILMINGTON, NC	Retired
HARRIS, KAREN N.	MERIDIAN, MS	Retired
HUANG, HUALIN	DAVIS, CA	Vice President of Nu Cybertek, an automation machinery manufacturer
LANGONE, KENNETH G.	NEW YORK, NY	Founder and CEO of Invemed Associates, a private investment company
MARQUIS, DARRELL L.	PEORIA, IL	CEO of Marquis Energy, an energy company
MAYER, SCOTT	FRANKLIN, WI	Founder of QPS Employment, a Midwest-based staffing firm
MCINERNEY, THOMAS	WESTPORT, CT	CEO of Bluff Point Associates, a private equity firm
MCLENDON, MARGARET	RICHLAND, GA	Retired
NAU III, JOHN L.	HOUSTON, TX	Chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the US
POPOLO, CHRIS	DALLAS, TX	Wife of Joseph Popolo
POPOLO, JOSEPH	DALLAS, TX	United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, founder of Charles & Potomac Capital, a private investment firm
PURCELL, PHILIP	PARK CITY, UT	Former chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley and Dean Witter
REHNERT, GEOFFREY	BOSTON, MA	Co-CEO and co-founder of Audax Group, an asset management firm
SADERGASKI, LUCY	STEWART, MN	Retired
SIEBEL, THOMAS M.	WOODSIDE, CA	Founder, chairman and former CEO of C3.ai, an AI software platform
SILVERMAN, JEFFREY	BAL HARBOUR, FL	Retired co-founder of Agman, an entrepreneurial investment firm
SINGER, PAUL	FLORIDA	Founder, president, co-CEO and co-CIO of Elliott Investment Management L.P., an investment management firm
SNEARLY, MARTHA	BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, OH	Retired ophthalmologist
STEPHENS, JOHN	LITTLE ROCK, AR	Co-CEO of Stephens, Inc., a financial consulting firm
THIEL, PETER	WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA	Co-founder of PayPal, Palantir and Founders Fund
WARREN, KELCY L.	DALLAS, TX	Chairman and CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, a midstream energy company
WEEKLEY, RICHARD W.	HOUSTON, TX	Texas real estate developer
YANCEY, JO ANN	CONROE, TX	Former owner of Conroe Concrete, a Texas concrete services contractor

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news nonprofit in Wisconsin.