U.S. Rep Justin Amash (I-MI) has tweeted his consideration for a presidential run.
When a follower responded with “Please be you,” Amash said, “Thanks. I’m looking closely at it this week.”
The congressman left the Republican Party last Independence Day, being disenfranchised with hyper-partisan politics, and has become a vocal critic of Trump on Twitter.
Libertarian Party leaders think he could win the party’s nomination, and take precious GOP votes from Trump in the Midwest battleground states.
Gregory Stempfle, chairman of the Michigan Libertarian Party, said Tuesday that he hadn’t spoken directly with Amash about a potential run for president on the party’s ticket, but said he should make it public soon if he is serious. Stempfle says it would be logistically impossible to get an Independent candidate on the ballot in all states, but that a Libertarian candidate would have better ballot access.
Asked if he thinks Amash will ultimately run for president as a Libertarian, Stempfle responded, “He’s hinting at it. I don’t think he would hint at it if he wasn’t planning to.”
In 2016, Libertarian Gary Johnson won 3.6% of the vote in Michigan.
Amash has recently criticized Governor Whitmer’s latest stay-at-home orders, suggesting they had marginal benefit and eroded confidence in her leadership. But when Trump tweeted about “absolute authority,” Amash had a response as well.
Longtime Michigan Republican consultant Jeff Timmer, who has broken with the party and opposes Trump, says an Amash run is a fool’s errand.
“Any vote that doesn’t go to Joe Biden is a vote for Donald Trump,” said Timmer, who plans to vote for Biden.
“If he truly respects the constitutional authority that governs this country, Donald Trump has to lose this election,” Timmer said of Amash. “Joe Biden is the only option.”
See more at the Detroit News.