Rep. Pete Hoekstra’s (R-MI) gubernatorial campaign yesterday outed the creator of PeteHoekstra.com, a site registered last week and filled with posts criticizing the congressman.
Hoekstra’s campaign told the Grand Rapids Press that the creator is Ben Padnos, an internet entrepreneur who grew up in Holland, Mich., and now lives in California.
Padnos confirmed this to TPM and also wrote a post on the site explaining who he is.
The spokesman for Hoekstra’s campaign, John Truscott, told the Press that the congressman’s staff had been trying to get the domain name for years, but that it was occupied by a Dutch soccer player. Truscott said they tried to buy it as recently as a few weeks ago.
But Padnos refutes that. He says the domain name has been available, citing a “for sale” posting in May 2008, as well as his ability to purchase the name for $10 on Dec. 30.
Padnos says he has done some political work for Republicans — “I actually worked stuffing envelopes for Guy VanderJagt in 1990, and interned in Washington DC for Congressman Fred Upton in the summer of 1994” — but is now a registered Independent.
He also says he’ll donate any money he may make from the web site to the Boys & Girls Club of Holland, which is in his Michigan hometown.
After outing Padnos, Hoekstra’s spokesman Truscott told the Press, “Frankly, only liberal Democrats will read the site anyway. … Trust me, people who will be voting for Pete Hoekstra will not be looking at that site.”
