Sen. Stabenow: Pete Hoekstra hopes to strip voters of right to elect U.S. Senate

Sen. Debbie Stabenow continues to paint her opponent, former Republican congressman Pete Hoekstra, as a right-wing tea party-style candidate.

Last week, the Democratic incumbent blasted Hoekstra for his status as one of seven GOP Senate candidates who support a so-called personhood law, which would give an embryo at conception the same rights as a person. That would mean all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, would be outlawed.

While personhood is an issue closely connected to hardcore conservatism, Hoekstra has gone one step further into right-wing territory by backing a repeal of the 17^th Amendment. This has to be the craziest, most unpopular idea to come out of the tea party movement. The 17^th Amendment gives voters the basic right to elect the senators from their state. A repeal would send our electoral system back to the pre-1913 days when each state legislature, in a highly charged political atmosphere, appointed their state’s senators.

Hoekstra first revealed his position last year when he said that the 17^th Amendment represents “an erosion of state’s rights." Last week, in an interview on Michigan Public Radio, the Holland Republican declined to walk back his support for repeal.

Stabenow has responded with a web ad chastising Hoekstra’s position.

In a press release, the senator reminded voters about some of Hoekstra’s other “out-of-the-mainstream” ideas. He has proposed creating a government office staffed by federal agents to investigate presidential candidates’ birth certificates. Hoekstra also remains a supporter of former presidential candidate Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan, which lost credibility among most Republicans several months ago.