{"id":2224826,"date":"2024-04-18T22:47:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T02:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amash-attempts-michigan-comeback-can-a-libertarian-still-win-in-trumps-gop\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T22:52:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T02:52:58","slug":"amash-attempts-michigan-comeback-can-a-libertarian-still-win-in-trumps-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amash-attempts-michigan-comeback-can-a-libertarian-still-win-in-trumps-gop\/","title":{"rendered":"Amash seeks Michigan return: Libertarian success in Trump&#8217;s GOP?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famash-attempts-michigan-comeback-can-a-libertarian-still-win-in-trumps-gop%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2224826&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former Rep. Justin Amash, known\u200d for quitting the GOP, supporting Trump&#8217;s impeachment, and criticizing Congress&#8217;s corruption, is now aiming\u200d for Michigan&#8217;s Senate \u200dseat as a Republican. Despite his Libertarian past, he believes\u200c running under a major \u200dparty is crucial for election success in Michigan. Amash&#8217;s platform emphasizes fiscal responsibility, constitutional values, and challenging partisan norms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justin-amash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Justin Amash<\/a> served in Congress for exactly one decade, with his final years in Washington, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>D.C.,<\/a> featuring him dramatically quitting the GOP, voting to impeach former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>, and deciding not to run for reelection. At the time, in 2019, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2019\/08\/21\/amash-washington-much-worse-than-house-cards\/2073818001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> Congress\u2019s corruption was worse than in the famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/netflix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Netflix<\/a> series <em>House of Cards<\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/07\/04\/738766431\/declaring-his-independence-rep-amash-leaves-the-gop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>decried<\/a> the two-party system as \u201can existential threat to American principles and institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, more than three years after his final day in office, Amash has decided he wants back in the game and is running for Michigan\u2019s open Senate seat \u2014 as a Republican. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>(Gary Locke for the Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt is still broken and dysfunctional,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in a recent interview. \u201cBut as a member of the Senate, you have more leverage to affect the change that\u2019s necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now there\u2019s actually a great opportunity because there\u2019s a change in leadership [with Mitch McConnell stepping down],\u201d he added. \u201cSo, I think there\u2019s a good chance to start fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But why is the former congressman running as a Republican after so famously quitting the GOP, and making history as the first Libertarian Party member of Congress, just a few years ago? <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Michigan \u2026 if you don\u2019t run as a Republican or a Democrat, you have very little chance of getting elected,\u201d Amash said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s because the laws are structured in such a way to make it almost impossible to both get on the ballot and then get votes.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have straight-ticket voting here, among other things,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo, if you were to run statewide as an independent or as a Libertarian, too high a percentage of the population will vote straight-ticket Republican or Democrat [for you to win].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A cynic would be forced to conclude that after just a few years, Amash is already giving up on the Libertarian Party as a serious alternative. Yet he insists that, in the long term, he hopes there will be another option to the two-party system, \u201cbut we have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/juan-williams-issues-stark-warning-republicans-are-preparing-the-ground-to-steal-an-election\/\" title=\"Juan Williams Issues Stark Warning: Republicans Are \u2018Preparing The Ground To Steal An Election\u2019\">change election laws<\/a> to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, it seems like Amash might have a task on his hands to convince Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/8-times-ron-desantis-stood-up-to-the-media-and-went-viral\/\" title=\"8 Times Ron DeSantis Stood Up To The Media And Went Viral\">primary voters<\/a> to entrust him with the nomination just a few years after quitting the party in such a high-profile manner. But he didn\u2019t seem worried, arguing that his strong record as a fiscal and constitutional conservative will matter more to primary voters than partisan loyalty.<\/p>\n<p>Amash\u2019s pitch to them is simple: If you want someone who will fight to cut government spending, stand up for the whole Bill of Rights, and work to fix Congress\u2019s dysfunction so it actually serves the people, he\u2019s your man. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s an orange elephant in the room, however.<\/p>\n<p>While in Congress, Amash voted to impeach Trump and emerged as one of his sharpest critics. But most primary voters in the Michigan GOP are still on the Trump train, if the former president\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2892282\/donald-trump-wins-michigan-gop-primary-defeating-nikki-haley\/#:~:text=Donald%20Trump%20wins%20Michigan%20GOP%20primary%2C%20defeating%20Nikki%20Haley%20%2D%20Washington%20Examiner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sweeping victory<\/a> in the presidential primary over rival Nikki Haley is anything to go by. <\/p>\n<p>I asked Amash if he thinks that Trump-supporting primary voters are still going to be open to his candidacy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll run on my own record and my own positions, whoever the president is,\u201d he replied. \u201cWhether it\u2019s Donald Trump or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> \u2014 it\u2019s likely to be one of the two \u2014 I\u2019m going to serve as a check against that person. That\u2019s my job.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The former congressman explained that on many policies, he would still be willing to work with a future President Trump, such as securing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/border-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>U.S. southern border<\/a>. Yet he ultimately sees the role of a senator as, in part, to hold the president accountable. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we really don\u2019t want is to send senators over there who are going to bow down to anyone, whether it\u2019s a Republican president or a Democratic president, because I have to represent all the people,\u201d Amash added. \u201cI think people will view it as a positive that they know I\u2019m willing to challenge anyone to protect their rights.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Another unique aspect of Amash\u2019s candidacy is his perspective as a second-generation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/palestinians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Palestinian American<\/a> given <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Israel<\/a>\u2019s war against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Hamas<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Gaza Strip<\/a> and the fierce debate within the Right on how far U.S. support for Israel should go amid mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone condemns what happened on Oct. 7,\u201d he said unequivocally. \u201cHamas is a terrorist group. What they did is completely wrong, completely immoral, completely contrary to what humanity should be. So, I\u2019ve been an outspoken opponent of what Hamas did \u2014 and what they do to the Palestinian people as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t alter the fact that what is going on right now in Gaza is a human catastrophe that is almost unprecedented in modern times,\u201d Amash continued. \u201cYou have people just being blown apart. My own relatives were killed.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He specifically criticized Biden for funding the war without exerting more \u201cleverage\u201d over how Israel is fighting it. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat has to change,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll speak out against that. I don\u2019t think that we should be funding any country, not just Israel, that is involved in an offensive military operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That phrase, an \u201coffensive military operation,\u201d jumped out to me, and I pressed the former congressman on whether, in light of the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel\u2019s war against Hamas really qualifies as \u201coffensive.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He insisted that it does \u201cbecause it\u2019s extended for a long period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the same when the United States takes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-charge-five-alleged-chinese-spies-for-carrying-out-harassment-campaigns-against-u-s-residents\/\" title=\"Feds Charge Five Alleged Chinese Spies For Carrying Out Harassment Campaigns Against U.S. Residents\">actions overseas<\/a>,\u201d Amash continued. \u201cA lot of times people try to play this game where they categorize U.S. actions overseas as defensive when they\u2019re actually offensive. We\u2019re seeing this right now with what goes on in the Red Sea. When there are attacks on U.S. ships and other vessels in the area, of course the United States has the ability and the right to defend itself, to fire back \u2026 and the president has the unilateral power to do that.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut that\u2019s very different from planning an operation that happens maybe a week later or several weeks later or a month later and then suggesting that that is a defensive operation,\u201d he concluded. \u201cThat becomes an offensive operation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Amash said that at this time, he would \u201cabsolutely\u201d vote against more aid to Israel. This puts him at odds with many of his would-be Senate GOP colleagues, but polling shows that rank-and-file Republican voters are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/2024\/03\/21\/views-of-the-u-s-role-in-the-israel-hamas-war\/#:~:text=Republicans%20and%20Republican%20leaners%20are,saying%20they%20strongly%20favor%20it.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>somewhat split<\/a> on this question.<\/p>\n<p>Amash insisted that primary voters won\u2019t hold this position against him: \u201cI don\u2019t think voters want us to send funds overseas, to fight offensive military operations, without any check by the United States and no approval by the United States Congress for the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And especially given Michigan\u2019s significant Muslim population, having a nuanced position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be an asset for Amash in a general election. Ultimately, it\u2019s just one of many areas, from protecting civil liberties to opposing corporate welfare, where he thinks he could have crossover appeal to Democrats and independents.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This has become an even bigger dividing line among Democrats. During Michigan\u2019s Democratic primary, progressives who thought Biden was too supportive of Israel backed a slate of uncommitted delegates. The split is thought to be one of the reasons Michigan is once again competitive at the presidential level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will uphold the Constitution, and I will represent everybody,\u201d he concluded. \u201cI\u2019ll hold town halls where everyone can come and speak to me about their concerns. And that\u2019s something that members of Congress are just not used to doing. They get elected, and they think their job is to represent one party. I don\u2019t view it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist, co-founder of <\/em>BASED Politics<em>, and <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributor.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Rep. Justin Amash spent ten years in Congress, making headlines by leaving the GOP, supporting Trump&#8217;s impeachment, and opting out of reelection. In 2019, he compared Congress\u2019s corruption to that in a popular Netflix series. His controversial decisions have raised questions about political norms and libertarian ideals in today&#8217;s political landscape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2946,"featured_media":2224827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/FEA.Amash_-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2224826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/FEA.Amash_-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2946"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2224826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2224827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2224826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2224826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2224826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}