(Photo Credit: Washington Examiner)

Amash Explores Primary Possibilities

On the Fourth of July, Justin Amash, a Republican representative from Michigan, declared independence from the Republican Party. He formally announced his defection from the GOP in a letter printed by the Washington Post.

“I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions,” Amash wrote. But now, some speculate Amash had another motive for quitting the party: he wants to run against Donald Trump as an independent in 2020.

“I still wouldn’t rule anything like that out. I believe that I have to use my skills, my public influence, where it serves the country best. And I believe I have to defend the Constitution in whichever way works best,” Amash told CNN’s Jake Tapper over the weekend.

Trump, on the other hand, has rooted for Amash to lose his next election. Trump is publicly supporting Amash’s primary challenger, Jim Lower, a Michigan state representative. Lower is a loyal supporter of President Trump. Before he left the GOP, Amash was losing to Lower by 16 points in polls.

Now that he is an independent, Amash has a better chance of winning back his Congressional seat by pulling Republican votes away from the GOP’s official candidate. Obviously, running a third-party presidential campaign is a much longer shot. But as Amash told The Hill, “when I run, I run to win.”