Name: Justin Amash Announces He's Running For President
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Justin Amash Announces He's Running For President

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×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×WASHINGTON ― It’s been a question weighing on Rep. ’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.”AdvertisementHe 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 and Republican President .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.)AdvertisementHowever, 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, though.Rather than winning 270 electoral votes and the presidency outright, he may be looking to be a spoiler candidate ― preventing either Trump or Biden from getting 270. In that situation, the election would be thrown to the House of Representatives, and Amash may think he can be a compromise candidate.That, however, seems like extremely wishful thinking.Even if Amash is on the ballot in all 50 states, it’s unclear which states he thinks he could win ― and from which candidate he might steal more votes.AdvertisementA conducted last June by The Detroit News suggested Amash would hurt Biden in Michigan more than he would hurt Trump, though, with time, Amash’s small-government, get-spending-under-control-and-government-out-of-your-life platforms may end up appealing more to disaffected Republicans.Still, if Amash is looking to steal votes from the president, the Republican Party’s fealty to Trump is a real problem. He may think Trump’s lackluster response to the coronavirus will help him with Republicans. But views of the president’s handling of the crisis are largely seen through a partisan lens. On average, more than 85% of Republicans approve of Trump’s response, while only 16% of Democrats approve.Amash may find more traction with disaffected Democrats, but his track record of extreme conservatism may hamper him there, too. He strongly opposes government spending and assistance, and he has taken many unpopular positions that have drawn public ire. (In February, Amash voted against an anti-lynching bill, that the bill would weaken African Americans’ rights and only codify existing law. He was criticized online for weeks.) AdvertisementAmash will also likely use his reputation as a principledAdvertisementSuggest a correctionNewsletter Sign UpHuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox.Successfully Subscribed!Realness delivered to your inbox

×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×WASHINGTON ― It’s been a question weighing on Rep. ’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...

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Justin Amash Announces He's Running For President

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