John Moolenaar
John Moolenaar | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 4th district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Camp |
| Member of the Michigan Senate from the 36th district | |
| In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Stamas |
| Succeeded by | Jim Stamas |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 98th district | |
| In office January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Stamas |
| Succeeded by | Jim Stamas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Robert Moolenaar May 8, 1961 Midland, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Amy Moolenaar |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Hope College (BS) Harvard University (MPA) |
| Website | House website |
John Robert Moolenaar (/ˈmoʊlənɑːr/ MOLE-ən-arr; born May 8, 1961) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 4th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2014.[1]
Early life and education[]
Moolenaar was born in a family of Dutch Americans on May 8, 1961, in Midland, Michigan. In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hope College. He earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University in 1989.
Career[]
Moolenaar is a chemist, and worked at Dow Chemical Company for eight months before entering politics.[2] He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2002, where he served three terms. In 2010, he was elected to the Michigan Senate, where he served one term.[3] Before his election to the legislature, Moolenaar served on the Midland City Council.[4]
In 2014, Moolenaar ran for the United States House of Representatives seat representing Michigan's 4th congressional district. He won the Republican primary election in August, defeating Paul Mitchell,[5] and the general election in November.
Moolenaar and fellow Michigan representative Andy Levin have introduced legislation to delay any deportations of Iraqis to Iraq for two years.[6]
In December 2020, Moolenaar signed an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court in Texas v. Pennsylvania, et al., which sought to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election results.[7]
Elections[]
Moolenaar was elected to represent the 36th district in the Michigan State Senate in 2010. He defeated Democrat Andy Neumann in the November 2 general election, 56,634 votes to 32,154.
Moolenaar ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 4th District. He won the Republican nomination in the August 5 primary against Paul Mitchell and Peter Konetchy. He defeated Jeff Holmes (D), Will Tyler White (Libertarian) and George Zimmer (U.S. Taxpayers) in the November 4 general election.
U.S. House of Representatives[]
Committee assignments[]
- Committee on Appropriations [1]
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Caucus memberships[]
- Republican Study Committee[8]
- Republican Main Street Partnership[9]
- U.S.-Japan Caucus[10]
Tenure[]
In December 2020, Moolenaar was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[11] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[12][13][14]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Moolenaar and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[15][16] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Moolenaar and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[17]
References[]
- ^ 2011-2012 Michigan Manual: State Senator John Moolenaar
- ^ "Biography". house.gov. December 11, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ^ Gonzales, Nathan L. (November 21, 2014). "Freshman Class Filled With Losers". Roll Call. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ "Meet Senator Moolenaar - Senator John Moolenaar". Senator John Moolenaar. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "Sen. John Moolenaar defeats Paul Mitchell in 4th District congressional Republican primary race". MLive.com. August 6, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ article on death of Aldaoud and related issues
- ^ "Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
- ^ "Members". Republican Main Street Partnership. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
External links[]
- Congressman John Moolenaar official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- John Moolenaar at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
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Authority control  |
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- 1961 births
- 21st-century American chemists
- 21st-century American politicians
- American people of Dutch descent
- Dow Chemical Company employees
- Harvard Kennedy School alumni
- Hope College alumni
- Living people
- Members of the Michigan House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
- Michigan city council members
- Michigan Republicans
- Michigan state senators
- People from Midland, Michigan
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives