Justin Amash, the former Michigan congressman who left the Republican Party during Donald Trump’s presidency and voted to impeach him, announced Thursday that he will enter the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in his state.
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“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,” Amash wrote in a statement on X. “That’s why, today, I’m making it official: I’m joining the race for United States Senate in Michigan.”
Amash joins a crowded field of Republicans vying for the battleground Senate seat, which is open because Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) is retiring. The other GOP candidates include another former Michigan congressman, Mike Rogers, who is backed by the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.
Amash represented Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District from 2011 to 2021. He started as a Republican but emerged as a vocal critic of Trump and left the party in 2019, declaring himself an independent and backing Trump’s first impeachment later that year.
Amash joined the Libertarian Party in 2020, becoming the first Libertarian to serve in Congress. After flirting with a Libertarian presidential run, he decided not to seek reelection to his House seat.
Amash announced an exploratory committee for the Senate seat in January, calling the current contenders “uninspired, unserious, and unprepared” to take tackle the country’s challenges.
Beyond Rogers, the primary also includes former Michigan congressman Peter Meijer and businessman Sandy Pensler. Former Detroit police chief James Craig was also running but dropped out this month.
Meijer has also been critical of Trump, voting for his second impeachment and losing his 2022 reelection campaign to a Trump-backed primary challenger.
The Michigan Democratic Party responded to Amash’s announcement by highlighting the “brutal infighting” among the state’s Republicans. The state party leader, Lavora Barnes, predicted in a statement that the GOP’s “caustic showdown will leave them with a badly damaged nominee who is out of touch with Michigan families.”
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“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,” Amash wrote in a statement on X. “That’s why, today, I’m making it official: I’m joining the race for United States Senate in Michigan.”
Amash joins a crowded field of Republicans vying for the battleground Senate seat, which is open because Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) is retiring. The other GOP candidates include another former Michigan congressman, Mike Rogers, who is backed by the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.
Amash represented Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District from 2011 to 2021. He started as a Republican but emerged as a vocal critic of Trump and left the party in 2019, declaring himself an independent and backing Trump’s first impeachment later that year.
Amash joined the Libertarian Party in 2020, becoming the first Libertarian to serve in Congress. After flirting with a Libertarian presidential run, he decided not to seek reelection to his House seat.
Amash announced an exploratory committee for the Senate seat in January, calling the current contenders “uninspired, unserious, and unprepared” to take tackle the country’s challenges.
Beyond Rogers, the primary also includes former Michigan congressman Peter Meijer and businessman Sandy Pensler. Former Detroit police chief James Craig was also running but dropped out this month.
Meijer has also been critical of Trump, voting for his second impeachment and losing his 2022 reelection campaign to a Trump-backed primary challenger.
The Michigan Democratic Party responded to Amash’s announcement by highlighting the “brutal infighting” among the state’s Republicans. The state party leader, Lavora Barnes, predicted in a statement that the GOP’s “caustic showdown will leave them with a badly damaged nominee who is out of touch with Michigan families.”
