Pete Hoekstra

This Primary win was tantamount to election in a district reckoned as Michigan's most Republican district; the GOP has held the district for all but four years since it was created in 1873.

Hoekstra later defeated Democrat John H. Miltner and Libertarian Dick Jacobs in the general election, with 63% of the vote.

Hoekstra continued to ride his bicycle across the district every summer, and biked across the state for his gubernatorial campaign.

When he was first elected, Hoekstra initially pledged to serve no more than six terms (12 years) in the House.

The district, previously the 9th, had been represented for 26 years by Guy Vander Jagt, longtime chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021.

Hoekstra rode his bicycle across the district, charging that Vander Jagt had served in Congress for too long; Vander Jagt had won his first election in 1966, when Hoekstra was 13 years old.

He scored a monumental upset, winning by almost six percent.

Hoekstra dominated the district's more populated southern portion; Vander Jagt's margins in the northern portion, his longtime base, weren't enough to close the gap.

He moved to the U.S. with his parents at the age of three, and Anglicized his name to Peter Hoekstra. He graduated from Holland Christian High School (Holland, Michigan) in 1971.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Hope College in 1975 and an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in 1977.

He then joined office furniture maker Herman Miller and remained there for 15 years, eventually becoming vice president of marketing.

In 1992, Hoekstra ran for the U.S. House, defeating thirteen-term incumbent Guy Vander Jagt in the Republican Primary and Democratic opponent John H. Miltner in the general election.

In 1992, Hoekstra made his first bid for public office in the 2nd District.

A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 2011.

Born in the Netherlands, Hoekstra immigrated to the United States as a child.

In 1994 he voted against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

Hoekstra was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 2004 to 2007.

However, in 2004, he announced he would break that pledge and seek a seventh term.

In November he was opposed by the Democratic candidate Kimon Kotos, who was also his 2004 opponent.

Hoekstra defeated Kotos 183,518 votes to 87,361 votes.

In 2005 he voted to prohibit product lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

In 2006, Hoekstra's Leadership PAC (the Mileage Fund) raised nearly $160,000 in Political Action Contributions from contributors including the Teamsters, Michigan Credit Union League, and Little Planet Books.

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 Intelligence Committee, succeeding Porter Goss, who became Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Hoekstra had no Primary opponent.

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 had a conservative voting record, consistent with the conservative nature of the 2nd congressional district.

He opposed abortion rights, opposed expanding health care benefits for children, opposed gay adoption rights and gay marriage, and voted against paid parental leave for federal employees.

However, he also opposed amending the Constitution to prohibit flag desecration.

Hoekstra consistently opposed gun control during his tenure, earning an A rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.

He was a candidate for governor in Michigan's 2010 gubernatorial election, but came in second to Rick Snyder in the Republican Primary.

Hoekstra was also the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in 2012, losing to Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow in the general election.

In July 2017, Hoekstra was nominated to be United States Ambassador to the Netherlands by President Donald Trump.

This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 9, 2017, and Hoekstra was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador on December 11, 2017.

He took office on January 10, 2018.

He left office on January 17, 2021.

On January 20, 2024, Hoekstra was elected Chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

Hoekstra was born Cornelis Piet Hoekstra in Groningen, Netherlands.