Former Michigan congresscritter — and former Republican, for that matter — Justin Amash took to Twitter/X on Thursday to announce a possible Senate run, and my libertarian tweeps are nearly wetting themselves.
"Today," Amash posted on Twitter, "I’m launching the Justin Amash for Senate Exploratory Committee as I consider entering the race." Here's the kicker, though — if he runs, Amash will re-join the Republican Party he left in 2019 and duke it out in the primaries.
"I’ve been humbled in recent weeks by the many people who have urged me to run for Senate in Michigan and to do so by joining the Republican primary."
Amash said that the Senate needs "someone with a record of taking on the bipartisan oligarchy, defending sound money and free speech, fighting the surveillance state and military-industrial complex, and protecting all our rights."
— ₿ Michelle Ray ₿ (@GaltsGirl) January 18, 2024
I wasn't at all surprised to learn my old friend — and liberty-lover extraordinaire — Michelle Ray jumped immediately on board, even though she's down in Texas these days.
"Party doesn’t matter. Principles do," replied Libertarian Mama. "They’d be lucky to have you serve."
Maine state senator Erik Brakey (who also runs the Free State New Hampshire organization) said, "Go for it, Justin. You have my 100% support."
Twitchy's managing editor (and my Townhall colleague) Sam J seemed pleased by the news.
YAAAAAAAAAS.
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) January 18, 2024
Me? Let's just say I'm not quite as thrilled as my harder-core libertarian friends are.
Amash represented Michigan's 3rd district from 2011 through 2020, crushing every Democrat challenger in five elections, but he hasn't exactly been Michigan's GOP poster boy these last few years.
He lost a lot — a lot — of support from his fellow Republicans in 2019 for being the only non-Democrat in the House to vote for an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Whatever support he might have still had among non-NeverTrump Republicans (none?) vanished when he tweeted his support for Mitt Romney's sole GOP Senate vote in favor of convicting Trump.
"Thank you, @SenatorRomney, for upholding your oath to support and defend the Constitution. You will never regret putting your faith in God and doing right according to the law and your conscience."
(Back in the '80s, this is when some people I used to know would say, "Gag me with a spoon." I was not one of those people, I swear. My '80s slang was far more vulgar.)
Still, there's a lot to like about Amash on policy that doesn't fall into the warp field generated by Trump Derangement Syndrome. And other libertarian-leaning senators like Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) could use another voice on their side.
But there might not be any getting around the "impeachment thing," as the ever-so-eloquent George H.W. Bush might have put it. Michigan went for Trump in 2016 and might have gone for him again in 2020 had it not been for (I'm putting it gently here) Democrat election shenanigans.
Can a Republican-turned-Libertarian-turned-Republican who voted to impeach Trump and who publically thanked the only RINO to vote to convict Trump possibly win in Michigan's Republican primary?
I guess that's what Amash's exploratory committee is all about — and we'll learn the results almost as soon as Amash does.
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