Former Republican Michigan Rep. Justin Amash announced Thursday that he is launching a bid for the U.S. Senate in Michigan as a Republican, despite him leaving the GOP in 2019.
“When I established an exploratory committee for Senate, I understood the challenge ahead. Running for office requires an extraordinary commitment, not just from the candidate but also from family, friends, volunteers, and donors. A campaign puts them through so much. That’s reason enough not to run for office unless there’s a clear path to victory and a high likelihood of success. After thoroughly evaluating all aspects of a potential campaign, I’m convinced that no candidate would be better positioned to win both the Republican primary and the general election. That’s why, today, I’m making it official: I’m joining the race for United States Senate in Michigan,” Amash said in a statement.
In January, Amash released a statement, saying he has been urged by several people to run in the Republican primary and that the Senate needs “principled, consistent constitutional conservative.” Amash announced on Independence Day in 2019 that he would be leaving the Republican Party, and criticized the two-party system, saying it has become an “existential threat to American principles.” He also called for other Americans to join him in pushing back against having just two parties.
“The past few years away from Congress have given me time to reflect on the experiences that have shaped my life, the principles of liberty that inspire me, and what my tenure in Congress meant to the people of my community. My parents arrived in the United States as teenagers in search of a better future — my father, a Palestinian refugee, and my mother, a Syrian immigrant,” Amash continued. “They instilled in me a love for America and for the values and principles at the heart of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We live in the greatest country on earth, but the ideals that have made it great are increasingly taken for granted. People often feel helpless and hopeless, unheard and ignored by Washington, and trapped between opposing forces who reject America’s principles or don’t understand them.” (RELATED: Justin Amash Forms Exploratory Committee For GOP Senate Run In Michigan)
When I established an exploratory committee for Senate, I understood the challenge ahead. Running for office requires an extraordinary commitment, not just from the candidate but also from family, friends, volunteers, and donors. A campaign puts them through so much. That’s…
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) February 29, 2024
“Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate, Mike Rogers, has built his career on expanding the power of the state at the expense of individual liberty, and the establishment will stop at nothing to get him elected,” Amash added. (RELATED: Independent Rep. Justin Amash Confirms He Will Not Seek Reelection)
In April 2020, Amash announced that he launched an exploratory committee for a presidential nomination with the Libertarian Party, hinting he may try to enter the race in full force.
In 2019, North Carolina Rep. Mark Walker called on Amash to leave the House Republican Conference after Amash announced he was leaving the Party. (RELATED: Rep Mark Walker Calls For Amash To Leave Republican Conference)
Walker was the first member of House Republican leadership to call on Amash to leave the conference, saying “we simply ran out of space for his ego,” and that “we should make sure he leaves Conference and his committee.” Amash announced in May 2019 that he thought the House should begin impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump.
Amash ended up voting to impeach Trump.