Internet divided as former Rep Justin Amash announces bid for open US Senate seat in Michigan

‎LANSING, MICHIGAN: On Thursday, February 29, former Rep Justin Amash announced that he will run as a Republican for the open US Senate seat in Michigan, after leaving the party almost five years ago.

Amash, who is a conservative-libertarian, parted ways with the Republican Party in 2019 after losing faith in the leadership of the organization under former President Donald Trump, for whom he voted to impeach at the time.

The ex-congressman, who served five consecutive terms, decided not to run for re-election in Michigan's 3rd Congressional District in 2020.

The 43-year-old cast his vote as an independent during his last term in office and briefly considered running for the US presidency under the Libertarian Party banner in that same year, according to the New York Post.

What did Justin Amash say regarding his decision to run as a Republican again?

Amash penned a lengthy X post, which read in part, “After thoroughly evaluating all aspects of a potential campaign, I’m convinced that no candidate would be better positioned to win both the Republican primary and the general election. That’s why, today, I’m making it official: I’m joining the race for United States Senate in Michigan.”

Amash stated that he had spent the past few years meditating "on the experiences that have shaped my life, the principles of liberty that inspire me, and what my tenure in Congress meant to the people of my community" before deciding to enter the heavily contested race to succeed retiring Sen Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

“So many times in my daily life, I’ve been approached by individuals who want me to know how much it meant to them that I did exactly what I said I’d do: that I upheld the Constitution regardless of the political consequences, that I read the bills, that I explained my votes, that I listened to the people I represented and held myself accountable to them in open town halls — giving them an opportunity to change my mind whenever we disagreed, and me an opportunity to change theirs,” he asserted.

The former Michigan congressman continued, “I feel an obligation to get back to this work, but the circumstances of this upcoming election give it urgency.” 

Who are other contenders for soon-to-be vacant Senate seat in Michigan?

The Republican primary contest in the state of Michigan features three former House lawmakers, including Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer.

Rogers has garnered the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate's campaign finance arm, and is widely considered to be the front-runner.

Meijer, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the events of January 6, 2021, was challenged in the 2022 congressional election by a conservative opponent backed by Trump and subsequently lost his seat.

On the Democratic side, Rep Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) has fundraised more than ten times the amount for her campaign compared to her intra-party opponent, actor Hill Harper.

According to a recent poll conducted by EPIC-MRA, the two leading candidates, Rogers and Slotkin, are nearly tied with 39% and 38% of the vote, respectively.

In his announcement, Amash said that Rogers was "Mitch McConnell's handpicked candidate" and claimed that the former congressman had "built his career on expanding the power of the state at the expense of individual liberty".

Amash, the son of a Palestinian refugee father and a Syrian immigrant mother, was the first Palestinian American politician to serve in Congress.

Earlier this year, he disclosed that several of his family had died in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

Internet reacts to ex-Republican Justin Amash's announcment

People on X expressed mixed opinions on former Rep Amash announcing his return to electoral politics by entering the GOP primary for US Senate.

One X user remarked: "The hate draws them back."

Another user said: "So he never left the GOP. Got it."

Another user wrote: "Amash is 100% better than whoever he is primarying. Good."

One user argued: "I found him to be somewhat reasonable. But entering this late he will be so far behind. He also has to understand the MAGA crowd will never forgive him or vote for him. I’d hate for the GQP to take this from the Dems. I hope Slotkin can win this one. She would be excellent."

Another X user quipped: "Lmao good luck with that one lmao. He committed career suicide."

Finally, this user tweeted: "Excellent! Go @justinamash !"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.