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Hoekstra was suggested as a possible challenger for incumbent [[Debbie Stabenow]] in the [[United States Senate election in Michigan, 2012|2012 Senate election]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/01/michigan_poll_pete_hoekstra_to.html | work=The Grand Rapids Press | title=Michigan poll: Pete Hoekstra tops in GOP Senate candidates, Mitt Romney for president, and 2-1 support for Detroit-Windsor bridge | first=Jeff | last=Cranson | date=January 28, 2011 | accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> but he initially declined to run.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/ex_rep_pete_hoekstra_wont_challenge_stabenow-204991-1.html|title=Ex-Rep. Pete Hoekstra Won’t Challenge Stabenow|date=April 15, 2011|accessdate=April 15, 2011|work=[[Roll Call]]|first=Shira|last=Toeplitz}}</ref> Hoekstra later changed his mind and decided to challenge Stabenow in the election.<ref>{{cite web|last=Steinhauser |first=Paul |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/20/did-the-gop-get-the-candidate-it-wanted-in-michigan/ |title=Did the GOP get the candidate it wanted in Michigan? |publisher=CNN |date=July 20, 2011 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> On August 29, Hoekstra was endorsed by Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder,<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/08/29/michigan_gov_snyder_endorses_hoekstra.html/ Michigan Gov. Snyder Endorses Hoekstra]{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> and on September 23, Hoekstra was endorsed by 2012 Presidential candidate [[Michele Bachmann]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtonindependent.com/112410/bachmann-endorses-hoekstra-to-run-against-stabenow-for-u-s-senate |title=Bachmann endorses Hoekstra to run against Stabenow for U.S. Senate |publisher=The Washington Independent |date=September 23, 2011 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> Critics also pointed out that Hoekstra voted for the $700-billion [[Wall Street]] bailout and voted for trillions more in deficit spending while he was in Congress.<ref name="freep" />
Hoekstra was suggested as a possible challenger for incumbent [[Debbie Stabenow]] in the [[United States Senate election in Michigan, 2012|2012 Senate election]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/01/michigan_poll_pete_hoekstra_to.html | work=The Grand Rapids Press | title=Michigan poll: Pete Hoekstra tops in GOP Senate candidates, Mitt Romney for president, and 2-1 support for Detroit-Windsor bridge | first=Jeff | last=Cranson | date=January 28, 2011 | accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> but he initially declined to run.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/ex_rep_pete_hoekstra_wont_challenge_stabenow-204991-1.html|title=Ex-Rep. Pete Hoekstra Won’t Challenge Stabenow|date=April 15, 2011|accessdate=April 15, 2011|work=[[Roll Call]]|first=Shira|last=Toeplitz}}</ref> Hoekstra later changed his mind and decided to challenge Stabenow in the election.<ref>{{cite web|last=Steinhauser |first=Paul |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/20/did-the-gop-get-the-candidate-it-wanted-in-michigan/ |title=Did the GOP get the candidate it wanted in Michigan? |publisher=CNN |date=July 20, 2011 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> On August 29, Hoekstra was endorsed by Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder,<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/08/29/michigan_gov_snyder_endorses_hoekstra.html/ Michigan Gov. Snyder Endorses Hoekstra]{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> and on September 23, Hoekstra was endorsed by 2012 Presidential candidate [[Michele Bachmann]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtonindependent.com/112410/bachmann-endorses-hoekstra-to-run-against-stabenow-for-u-s-senate |title=Bachmann endorses Hoekstra to run against Stabenow for U.S. Senate |publisher=The Washington Independent |date=September 23, 2011 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> Critics also pointed out that Hoekstra voted for the $700-billion [[Wall Street]] bailout and voted for trillions more in deficit spending while he was in Congress.<ref name="freep" />

⚫
In the first poll conducted after a controversial Super Bowl ad aired was released on February 14, Hoekstra lost support of 5% from November 2011 to February 2012.<ref>http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/stabenow-up-14-on-hoekstra-as-ad-backfires.html</ref> <ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/mi/michigan_senate_hoekstra_vs_stabenow-1817.html</ref>


===Super Bowl ad controversy===
===Super Bowl ad controversy===
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On February 10, 2012 Hoekstra shut down his controversial Chinese-themed website and phased in a new TV commercial in the slot of his original Super Bowl ad.<ref>[http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120210/POLITICS01/202100379/Hoekstra-backs-off-Super-Bowl-ad?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s Hoekstra backs off Super Bowl ad ([[Detroit News]], February 10, 2012)]</ref>
On February 10, 2012 Hoekstra shut down his controversial Chinese-themed website and phased in a new TV commercial in the slot of his original Super Bowl ad.<ref>[http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120210/POLITICS01/202100379/Hoekstra-backs-off-Super-Bowl-ad?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s Hoekstra backs off Super Bowl ad ([[Detroit News]], February 10, 2012)]</ref>


⚫
The first poll conducted after the controversial ad aired was released on February 14 which showed that the ad backfired as Hoekstra lost support.<ref>http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/stabenow-up-14-on-hoekstra-as-ad-backfires.html</ref>


==Post-House career==
==Post-House career==

Revision as of 03:19, 15 February 2012

This article is about the American Congressman. For the Dutch soccer player, see Peter Hoekstra (footballer).
Pete Hoekstra
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byCarl Pursell
Succeeded byBill Huizenga
Personal details
Born
Peter Hoekstra

(1953-10-30) October 30, 1953 (age 71)
Groningen, The Netherlands
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDiane M. Johnson
ChildrenErin Hoekstra,
Allison Hoekstra,
Bryan Hoekstra
Residence(s)Holland, Michigan, United States
Alma materHope College (B.A.)
University of Michigan (M.B.A.)
OccupationPolitician
Websitepetespenditnot.com

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 running for the United States Senate against Debbie Stabenow in 2012.

Early life and education

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 an M.B.A. from the University of Central Michigan in 1977.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

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).[1]

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.[2]

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.

2006
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2006 and United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2008

Hoekstra had no primary opponent. In November he was opposed by the Democratic candidate Kimon Kotos,[3] who was also his 2004 opponent. Hoekstra defeated Kotos 183,518 votes to 87,361 votes.[4]

2008

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.

Tenure

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.

Criticism of the Islamic Society of North America

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.".[5]

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

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.[6]

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.[7][8]

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.[9]

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." [10][11]

Repatriation of Yemeni captives in Guantanamo

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.[12][13] Hoekstra called for a halt to the repatriation of Yemeni captives in Guantanamo.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

  • Founding chairman of the Education Freedom Caucus
  • Founding chairman of the Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands

2010 gubernatorial campaign

Main article: Michigan gubernatorial election, 2010

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.[14][15][16][17][18]

2012 U.S. Senate election

See also: United States Senate election in Michigan, 2012

Hoekstra was suggested as a possible challenger for incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the 2012 Senate election,[19] but he initially declined to run.[20] Hoekstra later changed his mind and decided to challenge Stabenow in the election.[21] On August 29, Hoekstra was endorsed by Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder,[22] and on September 23, Hoekstra was endorsed by 2012 Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.[23] Critics also pointed out that Hoekstra voted for the $700-billion Wall Street bailout and voted for trillions more in deficit spending while he was in Congress.[24]

In the first poll conducted after a controversial Super Bowl ad aired was released on February 14, Hoekstra lost support of 5% from November 2011 to February 2012.[25] [26]

Super Bowl ad controversy

Hoekstra targeted Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow with a television ad which ran statewide during the 2012 Super Bowl. The 30-second ad opened with the sound of a gong and showed an Asian woman (played by Miss Napa Valley Lisa Chan) riding a bike in a rice paddy and talking in pidgin English. The ad is critical of government spending by Stabenow and mocks her name with the Asian woman saying “Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow".[24] The commercial asks viewers to visit Hoekstra's website which has statistics about federal spending beside images of Chinese flags, currency and stereotypical Chinatown font.[27] In the html code on Hoekstra’s site the woman in the ad is identified as “yellowgirl”,[28] but a statement was released explaining that it was mistakenly shortened from “yellowshirtgirl”.[29]

Asian-American groups called the ad “very disturbing”, national GOP consultant Mike Murphy said it was “really, really dumb”, and Foreign Policy magazine managing editor Blake Hounshell called it “despicable.” A coalition of black ministers in Detroit called for Hoekstra to apologize. Two of Hoekstra’s GOP opponents, Clark Durant and Gary Glenn, questioned whether Hoekstra is the right candidate for Republicans to support.[30] The ad was called “blatantly racist" by Michael Yaki, former aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.[31] Sen. Dan Inouye, the longest serving senator in Congress, said Hoekstra's "racist thoughts are not welcome in the United States Senate.”[32] Journalist James Fallows of The Atlantic called it the "most revolting ad".[33] The NAACP denounced the ad as an "unnecessary race card."[34]

On February 10, 2012 Hoekstra shut down his controversial Chinese-themed website and phased in a new TV commercial in the slot of his original Super Bowl ad.[35]


Post-House career

In February 2011, Hoekstra joined the government relations group at Washington law firm Dickstein Shapiro,[36] and was named a visiting distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, concentrating on education reform.[37] On July 19, it was reported by the Detroit News that Hoekstra would once again plan to challenge Stabenow[38]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Home". Hoekstra for Governor. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  2. ^ "Peter Hoekstra: Campaign Finance/Money - Summary - Congressman 2006". OpenSecrets. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  3. ^ "Kotos for Congress, Michigan District 2". Kotosforcongress.com. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "2006 Official Michigan General Election Results - 2nd District Representative in Congress 2 Year Term (1) Position". Michigan Department of State. May 10, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  5. ^ By Thursday, October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11). "Bill would cut Justice aid to suspect groups - Washington Times". Blogs.washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Rep. Pete Hoekstra Details His Breakthrough WMD Report". Fox News. June 23, 2006.
  7. ^ "Report sparks debate over Iraq arsenal". The Seattle Times. June 23, 2006.
  8. ^ "Despite all evidence to the contrary, media conservatives continued to hype Santorum's "weapons of mass destruction"". Media Matters. June 23, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  9. ^ Broad, William J. (November 3, 2006). "U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  10. ^ "US Iran report branded dishonest". BBC News. September 14, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  11. ^ "IAEA: Iran Nuclear Report 'Outrageous'". CBS News. September 14, 2006.
  12. ^ "Following Path of Least Resistance, Terrorists Turn Yemen Into Poor Man's Afghanistan". Fox News. 2009-12-27. Archived from the original on 2009-12-27. 'They should stay there. They should not go back to Yemen,' Hoekstra said. 'If they go back to Yemen, we will very soon find them back on the battlefield going after Americans and other western interests.'
  13. ^ Josh Gerstein (2009-12-27). "Bomb plot complicates Gitmo plan". Politico. Archived from the original on 2009-12-28. 'Yesterday just highlights the fact that sending this many people back—or any people back—to Yemen right now is a really bad idea,' said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. 'It's just dumb….If you made a list of what the three dumbest countries would be to send people back to, Yemen would be on all the lists.'
  14. ^ "Hoekstra slams Right to Life for snub, wants its director ousted | freep.com | Detroit Free Press". freep.com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2010-08-23. [dead link‍]
  15. ^ "Election 2010: Michigan Republican Primary for Governor - Rasmussen Reports". Rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  16. ^ Time http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2010/06/03/mi-gov-poll-dillon-hoekstra-lead-primary-fields/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ "2010 Michigan Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  18. ^ "Snyder wins in Michigan, Moran in Kansas; Rep. Kilpatrick loses primary". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ Cranson, Jeff (January 28, 2011). "Michigan poll: Pete Hoekstra tops in GOP Senate candidates, Mitt Romney for president, and 2-1 support for Detroit-Windsor bridge". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  20. ^ Toeplitz, Shira (April 15, 2011). "Ex-Rep. Pete Hoekstra Won't Challenge Stabenow". Roll Call. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
  21. ^ Steinhauser, Paul (July 20, 2011). "Did the GOP get the candidate it wanted in Michigan?". CNN. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  22. ^ Michigan Gov. Snyder Endorses Hoekstra[dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Bachmann endorses Hoekstra to run against Stabenow for U.S. Senate". The Washington Independent. September 23, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  24. ^ a b With videos: Pete Hoekstra Super Bowl ad slammed (Detroit Free Press)
  25. ^ http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/stabenow-up-14-on-hoekstra-as-ad-backfires.html
  26. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/senate/mi/michigan_senate_hoekstra_vs_stabenow-1817.html
  27. ^ Ad Draws Protests for Portrayal of Asians (New York Times)
  28. ^ Fallows, James (February 6, 2012). "This Is So Classy: 'Yellow Girl'". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  29. ^ Catanese, David (February 7, 2012). "Hoekstra team: 'Yellow Girl' a web typo". Politico.
  30. ^ Black ministers join critics who say Hoekstra’s broken English ad is racially insensitive (Associated Press, February 6, 2012)
  31. ^ Civil Rights Commissioner Calls Hoekstra Super Bowl Ad ‘Blatantly Racist’
  32. ^ Inouye on Hoekstra: ‘His racist thoughts are not welcome in the United States Senate’ (Washington Post, 02/07/2012)
  33. ^ Superbowl Special! My Nominee for Most Revolting Ad (The Atlantic)
  34. ^ "Pete Hoekstra's Super Bowl Ad is a Super Flop (NAACP release)". PR Newswire. February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  35. ^ Hoekstra backs off Super Bowl ad (Detroit News, February 10, 2012)
  36. ^ Cranson, Jeff (February 1, 2011). "Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra named senior adviser at Washington law and lobbying firm". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  37. ^ "Heritage Foundation Names Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra as Visiting Distinguished Fellow" (Press release). The Heritage Foundation. February 22, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan has been named a visiting distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He will concentrate on education reform for the prominent think tank. {{cite press release}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help)
  38. ^ [1][dead link‍]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 2nd congressional district
1993–2011 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chairman of House Intelligence Committee
2004–2007 		Succeeded by

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