Amash confirms he won’t seek reelection

Michigan Rep. Justin Amash (L) confirmed Thursday evening that he was not seeking reelection to Congress, in an apparent end to his 2020 political aspirations.

Amash retweeted an article from The Detroit News that quoted an aide to the congressman as saying his reelection campaign had “idled” in February and that Amash did not intend to seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination for the district after abandoning the Republican Party last year.

“He hasn’t been campaigning for any office and doesn’t plan to seek the nomination for any office,” an adviser told the publication.

“I love representing our community in Congress. I always will. This is my choice, but I’m still going to miss it,” Amash added in a separate tweet. “Thank you for your trust.”

I love representing our community in Congress. I always will. This is my choice, but I’m still going to miss it.

Thank you for your trust.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 17, 2020

Amash previously indicated in April that he would consider seeking the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination but announced a month later that he would not attempt a third-party bid for the White House. His departure from the GOP and brief consideration of a White House bid was met with public mockery from President Trump, whom Amash voted to impeach as part of the House impeachment inquiry.

“I’ve spent nearly three weeks assessing the race, appearing in media, talking to delegates and donors, watching the Libertarian Party’s convention plan unfold, and gathering feedback from family, friends, and other advisers,” Amash tweeted at the time. “After much reflection, I’ve concluded that circumstances don’t lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate.”

Amash represented Michigan’s 3rd District as a Republican from 2011 to 2019 and has since styled himself an independent. A crowded Republican primary will take place on Aug. 4 to determine the GOP’s next nominee for his seat, while Democrat Hillary Scholten is running unopposed in her primary bid for the seat.