John Moolenaar


John Robert Moolenaar is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the 4th district from 2015 to 2023 and the 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.

Early life and education

Moolenaar was born on May 8, 1961, in Midland, Michigan. His family is of Dutch ancestry. He graduated from Hope College in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. He later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1989.

Career

Moolenaar worked at Dow Chemical Company as a chemist for eight months before entering politics. He was a member of the Midland City Council from 1997 to 2000. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2002, where he served three terms.
Moolenaar ran for the 36th district in the 2010 Michigan Senate election. He was elected with 63.79% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Andy Neumann.
Moolenaar did not run for reelection to the state Senate in 2014, choosing instead to run for U.S. House. He was succeeded in the Senate by Republican Jim Stamas. Moolenaar won the August 5 Republican primary for Michigan's 4th congressional district with 52.40% of the vote, defeating Paul Mitchell and Peter Konetchy. In the general election, he won 56.49% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Jeff Holmes, Libertarian candidate Will Tyler White, and U.S. Taxpayers' Party candidate George Zimmer.
Moolenaar was renominated without contest in 2016, winning the general with 61.62% of the vote against Democratic candidate Debra Wirth and four third-party candidates. In 2018, Moolenaar again faced no primary opposition, defeating Democrat Jerry Hilliard with 62.62% of the vote in the general election. In 2020, he faced a rematch against Hilliard, winning this time with 65.00% of the vote.
For his first four terms, Moolenaar represented a district stretching across a large swath of Northern and Mid-Michigan, from just outside Traverse City through Midland and the outer suburbs of Saginaw, then sweeping southward to grab the outer suburbs of Lansing. However, during the 2020 United States redistricting cycle following the 2020 census, Michigan's congressional map was significantly redrawn. The old 4th was dismantled and split between three neighboring districts, with Moolenaar's home in Midland drawn into the Flint/Saginaw-based 8th district. Meanwhile, the 2nd district, represented by fellow Republican Bill Huizenga, shifted east to take in much of Moolenaar's former territory in central Michigan after losing its more urban and suburban territory near Grand Rapids. Moolenaar moved to Caledonia, an outer suburb of Grand Rapids, and ran for reelection in the new 2nd district. Huizenga had his home drawn into the new 4th district and ran for reelection there. Moolenaar faced Tom Norton in the Republican primary for the new seat, winning renomination with 65.20% of the vote. In the general election, he faced Hilliard for the third time, winning with 63.68% of the vote. In 2024, Moolenaar won the Republican primary uncontested, and defeated Democratic candidate Michael Lynch with 65.14% of the vote.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:
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 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.
In 2022, Moolenaar voted against the Respect for Marriage Act.