U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar wins third term in Michigan's 4th District

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar on Tuesday won his third term, defeating Democrat Jerry Hilliard of Mount Pleasant in Michigan's 4th District Tuesday, according to a projection by the Associated Press.

With all precincts reporting unofficial results, Moolenaar won convincingly defeating Hilliard 62.6 percent to 37.4 percent.

Hilliard is a former public school teacher and economics and business instructor in community colleges.

Moolenaar sits on the House Appropriations Committee, becoming the first Michigan delegation member to be a member of the powerful panel since 2011. 

The Midland Republican was one of three Michigan GOP house members who lobbied President Donald Trump about the need for modernizing the Soo Locks during a late April drive from Selfridge Air Force Base in Harrison Township to a rally in Macomb Township.

“The Soo Locks are going to hell,” Trump told the Macomb rally. “You know that, right? And we’re going to get them fixed up.”

The president's unexpected embrace has given new momentum to a three-decade effort to update the aging freight passage infrastructure in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Congress has authorized the Soo Locks for funding after the Army Corps of Engineers reassessed the cost-benefit analysis for the project, but it now requires the money be appropriated.