Date of birth: Jan. 10, 1988
Residence: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Occupation: Business analyst
Education: B.A., Columbia University; MBA, New York University
Family: Wife, Gabriella
First-time candidate Peter Meijer (R) will be representing Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District in Congress.
Meijer, a veteran and the grandson of Meijer superstore chain founder Fred Meijer, beat Democrat Hillary Scholten. The race was close in the western Michigan district, which historically leans Republican, with President Trump beating Hillary Clinton there in 2016 by 10 points.
Meijer spent one year at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point before enlisting in the Army Reserve and deploying to Iraq from 2010 into 2011 as an intelligence adviser.
When he returned to the U.S., he studied at Columbia University before taking a job at Team Rubicon, a nongovernmental agency that does disaster response.
In the past several years, Meijer has worked in urban development and real estate, but said he decided to run to follow in the footsteps of Republican congressmen who have previously served Michigan in the House, including President Gerald Ford.
He ran a traditional Republican campaign and says he is “100 percent pro-life,” supports religious freedom and the Second Amendment, wants to lower the cost of health care and limit the power of the federal government.
Meijer replaces former Rep. Justin Amash (L), previously a Republican, who has held the seat since being elected in 2010 but decided not to run this year.
– Ellen Mitchell