Pete Hoekstra Hits Debbie Stabenow For Seeking Same Stimulus Money He Sought

Pete Hoekstra Hits Debbie Stabenow For Seeking Same Stimulus Money He Sought
FILE- In this June 28, 2010 photo then U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra is shown in Grand Rapids, Mich. Hoekstra, served 18 years in the U.S. House and now works as a senior adviser at Dickstein Shapiro LLP, a law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. and is runnnig for the U.S. Senate seat held by Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow. (AP Photo/Adam Bird)
FILE- In this June 28, 2010 photo then U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra is shown in Grand Rapids, Mich. Hoekstra, served 18 years in the U.S. House and now works as a senior adviser at Dickstein Shapiro LLP, a law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. and is runnnig for the U.S. Senate seat held by Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow. (AP Photo/Adam Bird)

WASHINGTON -- You know it's the height of election season when one candidate is criticizing the other for doing the exact same thing that he or she did.

Pete Hoekstra, the former Republican congressman hoping to unseat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in November, slammed Stabenow on Tuesday for seeking stimulus money for A123 Systems Inc., an electric-car battery maker that just filed for bankruptcy. The company previously received a $249 million federal grant.

"Obama and Stabenow choose badly, A123 files for bankruptcy. There go a few more 100 million of our $s. Debbie replies Don't worry, be happy!" Hoekstra tweeted.

He soon followed with another tweet: "Obama/Stabenow choose badly with $s borrowed from China! A123 goes bankrupt and our kids are left holding the bag. Enough is enough!"

But when Hoekstra was in Congress, he signed onto the same May 2009 letter as Stabenow in support of stimulus money for companies including A123.

"Establishing a North American battery center of gravity in Michigan will significantly improve the federal government's ability to more swiftly meet its ambitious vehicle electrification goals," reads the letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, which touts A123 as one of four battery manufacturers awarded state tax credits. "We urge you to strongly consider the importance of deploying the unmatched abilities and resources being offered to you from a state that has time and again persevered through regional and national challenges."

A Hoekstra campaign spokeswoman planned to get back to The Huffington Post with a comment.

Stabenow has maintained a steady lead over Hoekstra in the polls and currently leads by about 12.4 percent, per HuffPost Pollster estimates.

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