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 from the candidate and 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.
Former Rep. Justin Amash (Credits: New York Post)
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 several people have urged him 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 for 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.”
