John Moolenaar Explained

John Moolenaar
Office:Chair of the House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party
Term Start:April 24, 2024
Predecessor:Mike Gallagher
State1:Michigan
Term Start1:January 3, 2015
Predecessor1:Dave Camp
Constituency1:4th district (2015–2023)
2nd district (2023–present)
State Senate2:Michigan
District2:36th
Term Start2:January 1, 2011
Term End2:December 31, 2014
Predecessor2:Tony Stamas
Successor2:Jim Stamas
State House3:Michigan
District3:98th
Term Start3:January 1, 2003
Term End3:December 31, 2008
Predecessor3:Tony Stamas
Successor3:Jim Stamas
Birth Name:John Robert Moolenaar
Birth Date:8 May 1961
Birth Place:Midland, Michigan, U.S.
Party:Republican
Spouse:Amy Moolenaar
Children:6
Education:Hope College (BS)
Harvard University (MPA)

John Robert Moolenaar (; born May 8, 1961) is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the state's 2nd congressional district since 2023. 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 to a family of Dutch ancestry on May 8, 1961, in Midland, Michigan.[2] In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Hope College.[3] He earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University in 1989.[3]

Career

Moolenaar is a chemist, and worked at Dow Chemical Company for eight months before entering politics.[4] 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.[5] Before his election to the legislature, Moolenaar served on the Midland City Council.[6]

In 2014, Moolenaar ran for the United States House of Representatives seat representing . He won the Republican primary election in August, defeating Paul Mitchell,[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

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

For the 118th Congress:[10]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

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

In 2022, Moolenaar voted against the Respect for Marriage Act.[19]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. http://legislature.mi.gov/(S(oihnpzmtwrwfcs45ex1nab45))/documents/2011-2012/michiganmanual/2011-MM-P0164-p0164.pdf 2011-2012 Michigan Manual: State Senator John Moolenaar
  2. Web site: John Moolenaar [1961]]. New Netherland Institute. May 17, 2024.
  3. Web site: MOOLENAAR, John. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. May 17, 2024.
  4. Web site: Biography. house.gov. May 29, 2015. December 11, 2012.
  5. News: Freshman Class Filled With Losers. Gonzales. Nathan L.. 2014-11-21. Roll Call. en. 2018-05-15.
  6. Web site: Meet Senator Moolenaar - Senator John Moolenaar. Senator John Moolenaar. October 29, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141029183406/http://www.senatorjohnmoolenaar.com/meet-senator-moolenaar/. October 29, 2014. mdy-all.
  7. Web site: Sen. John Moolenaar defeats Paul Mitchell in 4th District congressional Republican primary race. MLive.com. October 29, 2014. August 6, 2014.
  8. https://theintercept.com/2019/08/08/ice-deportation-iraq-jimmy-aldaoud/ article on death of Aldaoud and related issues
  9. Web site: Motion of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 105 Other Members for leave to file amicus brief . Supreme Court of the United States . 11 December 2020.
  10. Web site: Committees and Caucuses | Congressman John Moolenaar . January 3, 2021 .
  11. Web site: Member List. Republican Study Committee. 2 January 2018. January 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190101195017/https://rsc-walker.house.gov/. dead.
  12. Web site: Members. Republican Main Street Partnership. 25 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180826123025/https://republicanmainstreet.org/members/. August 26, 2018. dead.
  13. Web site: Members. U.S. - Japan Caucus. 14 December 2018.
  14. Web site: Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. en.
  15. Web site: Blood. Michael R.. Riccardi. Nicholas. December 5, 2020. Biden officially secures enough electors to become president. live. December 12, 2020. AP News. December 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201208201209/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-3e0b852c3cfadf853b08aecbfc3569fa.
  16. News: Liptak. Adam. Adam Liptak. 2020-12-11. Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-12-12. 0362-4331. December 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201211234955/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/politics/supreme-court-election-texas.html. live.
  17. Web site: Order in Pending Case. 2020-12-11. Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. December 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201211234004/https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/121120zr_p860.pdf. live.
  18. News: Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court. Daniella . Diaz. CNN. December 11, 2020. December 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212000435/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/read-house-republicans-texas-supreme-court/index.html. live.
  19. Web site: These 157 House Republicans Voted Against Protections For Same-Sex Marriage . Igor . Bobic . July 19, 2022 . . 2022-07-20.