Rep. Justin Amash says he won't run for president

[swag]

Source: Washington Post

By David Weigel
May 16, 2020 at 10:58 a.m. PDT

Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan congressman who left the Republican Party last year, said on Twitter that he will not run for president this year after saying last month that he would seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination.

“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,” he tweeted.

Amash said that the polarization in the country, as well as the challenges to campaigning posed by the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing, meant it was not the right year for a successful third-party bid.

Amash, 40, was elected in the 2010 tea party wave and grew increasingly distant from Republicans as the decade went on, fending off a primary challenge from a business-backed conservative in 2014. He was deeply critical of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and even more critical of what the GOP did with control of the legislative and executive branches.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rep-justin-amash-says-he-wont-run-for-president/2020/05/16/17d5ccb0-979e-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

[marble falls]

1. We just don't need the distraction. Let him take on the GOP directly.

[catbyte]

2. Good.

[OhZone]

3. I love when spoilers back out!

OHYEAH!

[irisblue]

4. So his donor base cut him off?

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Let's say that the Koch Brothers won't bet on two horses running in the same race . . . . . .

[totodeinhere]

5. That's very good news. I respect him a lot for leaving the corrupt Republican Party.

I don't agree with many of his stands on the issues but we need more conservatives like him taking on Trump.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. I don't think he left because of GOP corruption.

I think he left because the GOP is too leftist, too liberal. I think he didn't feel the Tea Party was respected enough. Or maybe the Tea Party was too leftist.

[DownriverDem]

20. I think Amash left

because he didn't want to help trump.

[Hortensis]

24. Lol, too much truth. He's possibly that rare thing, a genuine

libertarian most analogous to the far right economically. The real thing, not the label most of today's laissez-faire, anti-regulation conservatives use to dress up their greed in some kind of ideology.

[ancianita]

6. He came to his senses. It's a good look for Americans wondering about Democratic Party unity.

[SamKnause]

8. I don't think anybody gives a fuck.

Not a single person I know has ever mentioned his name.

I don't think the majority of the country knows who the fuck he is.

[pnwmom]

11. I do. This is very good news. The polls were showing his presence in the race

was shrinking the gap between Biden and Trump. Some of the anti-Trump voters voted Biden -- if Amash weren't on the ballot. But they chose Amash if he was.

[DrToast]

13. Yep, this is good news

He hurt Biden more than Trump.

[DownriverDem]

23. Well if

you lived here in Michigan you would have known him. I do care and am glad he withdrew.

[BamaRefugee]

10. Looks like the check from the GOP went through the bank okay.

[pnwmom]

14. Not true. His presence on the ballot hurt Biden, according to polling.

The GOP leaders must be unhappy.

[Roc2020]

12. He would never live it down if

he cost Biden the race in a close election. Dude just came to his senses.

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Last week Bill Maher asked him not to be another Ralph Nader

That's my take on this too.

[budkin]

16. I called it the day he announced

I said if he realized he would take votes from Biden, he would drop out, and that is exactly what he did. He's not going to risk Trump getting re-elected.

[oldsoftie]

17. Its all gonna come down to the VP pick.

Whether we like that or not.

[Qutzupalotl]

18. Here's his tweet, FWIW.

Link to tweet

I’m glad he thought better of it.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. Paging St. Felicia for Justin Amash . .

#newrostrong

[McCamy Taylor]

21. Doesn't want to be used as a third party splitter

so that Russia can hack the e vote and reassign Biden votes to a third party.

[TheNewNumberTwo]

22. #firetheliars2020

his 'candidacy' had Ross Perot written all over it - not the same principles but likely the same effect on the 'GOPs' in the end. F the GOPs.

https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/yep-by-ampuloso/47001927.EJUG5

[zak247]

25. Another egomaniac

Just another egomaniac like Ralph Nadir and JillStein who know they can't win and will negatively affect the election but their sick egos makes them run.

Good, something or someone put some sense into him.