BYE: Libertarian Never Trumper Justin Amash Isn’t Running for Re-Election As Congressman
Richard Moorhead
|
Ex-Republican Libertarian Congressman Justin Amash isn’t seeking re-election as a member of the House of Representatives, an adviser to the momentary presidential candidate confirmed on Thursday.
“He hasn’t been campaigning for any office and doesn’t plan to seek the nomination for any office,” said Poppy Nelson, an adviser of Amash, to the Detroit News.
Amash had briefly waged a campaign for the presidency under the guise of the Libertarian Party. When it became clear that he would have to debate several other candidates for the party’s presidential nomination, he dropped out of the race. Some have surmised that Amash’s momentary presidential candidacy was no more than a way to avoid running for re-election to Congress. Amash departed the Republican Party in 2019, and was polling well behind several Republican candidates who were challenging him to represent Michigan’s reliably conservative third congressional district.
Amash later confirmed that he isn’t seeking any office in a Thursday night tweet.
I love representing our community in Congress. I always will. This is my choice, but I’m still going to miss it.
Thank you for your trust.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 17, 2020
The ideological libertarian began his political career as a member of the House Freedom Caucus, often aligning with more conservative libertarian legislators such as Thomas Massie and Rand Paul. He pivoted to a left-libertarian often partial to democratic and liberal policies and causes, giving credence to Russia conspiracy hysteria when he became the only nominal Republican to endorse the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Share: