Justin Amash Announces He's Running For President
WASHINGTON ― It’s been a question weighing on Rep. Justin Amash’s mind for months: whether to run for his House seat again as an independent, or whether he should run for president. On Tuesday, the Michigan lawmaker finally decided he’s going for the White House.
Amash, a five-term congressman who turned 40 last week, made the announcement Tuesday evening.
“We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together,” Amash wrote on Twitter. “I’m excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.”
He will run, he said, as a Libertarian, which will allow him to more easily get on state ballots ― if he does, as expected, win the Libertarian Party’s nomination.
But Amash will still have a tough time finding traction in a race between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican President Donald Trump.
The Michigan representative has long toyed with the idea of running for president. Sources close to Amash said he originally planned to announce his presidential campaign on Constitution Day, Sept. 17. (Amash declared his “independence from the Republican Party” on July 4 last year.)
However, he held back on the decision, waiting to see how the Democratic presidential primary would shake out. Amash told some staff that he saw more of an opening for his run if Biden won the nomination instead of someone like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Amash privately sounded confident that he could win his congressional seat again, despite facing attacks from Republicans and Democrats. But as it became clear that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, Amash began thinking about running for president again.
The coronavirus has potentially complicated his campaign since Amash will rely heavily on earned media rather than paid advertising ― and it may be more difficult to get on TV or conduct interviews during the pandemic.
He may have a different strategy,...Continue reading on HuffPost
