| Pete Hoekstra | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 2nd district |
|
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Carl Pursell |
| Succeeded by | Bill Huizenga |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1953 Groningen, The Netherlands |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Diane M. Johnson |
| Children | Erin Hoekstra, Allison Hoekstra, Bryan Hoekstra |
| Residence | Holland, Michigan, United States |
| Alma mater | Hope College (B.A.) University of Michigan (M.B.A.) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Reformed Church |
Peter "Pete" Hoekstra (born October 30, 1953) is a former Republican U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district who served in the House from 1993 until 2011. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2010 and is expected to run for the United States Senate against Debbie Stabenow in 2012.[1]
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Born in Groningen, The Netherlands, he moved to America with his parents at the age of three. He received a B.A. in political science from Hope College in 1975 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan in 1977.
The district had been held for twenty six years by Guy Vander Jagt, longtime chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Hoekstra rode his bicycle across the district, charging that Vander Jagt had served in Congress for too long. He scored a monumental upset, winning by almost six percent. This primary win was tantamount to election in the 2nd district, the "most Republican" district in Michigan (Republicans have held the district for all but four years since it was created in 1873). (Hoekstra continues to ride his bicycle across the district every summer, and for his 2010 gubernatorial campaign will also be riding across the state).[2]
In 2004, Hoekstra did not meet his initial term limits pledge by announcing that he would run for a seventh term, citing his membership on the Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2006, Hoekstra's Leadership PAC (the Mileage Fund) raised nearly $160,000 in Political Action Contributions from such diverse contributors as the Teamsters, Michigan Credit Union League, and Little Planet Books.[3]
Hoekstra faced no significant opposition in the Republican primary or in the general election (as in his previous five reelection campaigns) and went on to secure his seventh term. Shortly after the primary, he was named chairman of the committee, succeeding Porter Goss, who became Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Hoekstra had no primary opponent. In November he was opposed by the Democratic candidate Kimon Kotos,[4] who was also his 2004 opponent. Hoekstra defeated Kotos 183,518 votes to 87,361 votes.[5]
Hoekstra ran for re-election in 2008 against Fred Johnson, Associate Professor of History at Hope College. He beat Johnson by 215,471 to 119,959 votes.
Hoekstra has a conservative voting record, consistent with the conservative nature of the 2nd congressional district. However, he opposes amending the Constitution to prohibit flag desecration.
Hoekstra and a fellow Republican sent an open letter to then Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales regarding the Islamic Society of North America as blogged about via the Washington Times: In a letter to then-Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Reps. Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Republican and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sue Myrick, North Carolina Republican, called the Justice Department's involvement a "grave mistake."
"In light of the threat that our nation ... is currently facing from radical jihadists, and because of the president's commitment to fighting the war on terror on all fronts, we believe it is a grave mistake to provide legitimacy to an organization with extremist origins, leadership and a radical agenda," the lawmakers said.
The amendment, which was approved by a voice vote to a spending measure, states that "no funds appropriated under this act may be used to support a conference sponsored by any organization named as an unindicted co-conspirator by the government in any criminal prosecution.".[6]
On June 22, 2006, Hoekstra made headlines by announcing at a press conference in the Capitol that weapons of mass destruction had been located in Iraq in the form of 500 chemical weapons.[7]
A number of other media outlets disputed the claims made by Hoekstra and Rick Santorum regarding the existence of weapons of mass destruction, reporting that the claims were disputed by both Pentagon officials, the Duelfer Report, and the intelligence community.[8][9]
On November 3, 2006, The New York Times reported that a website created at the request of Hoekstra and Senator Pat Roberts was found to contain detailed information that could potentially be helpful to those seeking to produce nuclear weapons. The website was shut down on November 2 following questioning by The New York Times.[10]
As of September 17, 2007, some news outlets reported that the Congressional committee Hoekstra had overseen had created "erroneous" and "misleading" reports about Iran's nuclear capabilities. "Among the committee's assertions is that Iran is producing weapons-grade uranium at its facility in the town of Natanz. The IAEA called that "incorrect", noting that weapons-grade uranium is enriched to a level of 90 percent or more. Iran has enriched uranium to 3.5 percent under IAEA monitoring." [11][12]
On December 27, 2009, Hoekstra commented on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen.[13][14] Hoekstra called for a halt to the repatriation of Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.
In December 2008, Hoekstra said he would not seek re-election to his U.S. House seat in 2010, and instead campaign to be Michigan's governor. Hoekstra joined Mike Bouchard, the Oakland County Sheriff and former state senator, former Gateway, Inc. president Rick Snyder, State Senator Tom George and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidates. In the primary, held on August 3, 2010, Hoekstra finished second to Snyder.[15][16][17][18][19]
Hoekstra was suggested as a possible challenger for incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the 2012 Senate election,[20] but he initially declined to run.[21] Hoekstra later changed his mind and decided to challenge Stabenow in the election.[22] On August 29, Hoekstra was endorsed by Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder,[23] and on September 23, Hoekstra was endorsed by 2012 Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.[24]
In February 2011, Hoekstra joined the government relations group at Washington law firm Dickstein Shapiro,[25] and was named a visiting distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, concentrating on education reform.[26] On July 19, it was reported by the Detroit News that Hoekstra would once again plan to challenge Stabenow[27]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carl D. Pursell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 2nd congressional district 1993–2011 |
Succeeded by Bill Huizenga |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Porter Goss Florida |
Chairman of House Intelligence Committee 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Silvestre Reyes Texas |
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