'I’m still going to miss it': Amash not campaigning for re-election to his seat in Congress | Detroit News - Melissa Nann Burke:
July 16, 2020 - "When U.S. Rep. Justin Amash ended his exploratory bid for the presidency, Libertarian activists held out hope he would run for re-election to his seat in the U.S. House, where he is the first and only Libertarian to serve in Congress. It seems they are about to be disappointed.
"A top Amash aide reiterated this week that the West Michigan congressman idled his congressional campaign back in February. She also indicated Amash does not intend to seek the party's nomination at the Michigan Libertarian Party's convention in Gaylord this weekend. 'He hasn't been campaigning for any office and doesn't plan to seek the nomination for any office,' Amash adviser Poppy Nelson said by email. Amash himself confirmed he isn't seeking re-election to his House seat in a tweet Thursday night....
"That's not to say Amash, 40, is done with politics. Those familiar with his thinking suggested he wouldn't have joined the Libertarian Party this spring if he didn't intend to work within the organization and run for office again in the future. But Libertarians say they would be disappointed not to see Amash on the ballot after finally seeing one of their own among the ranks of the U.S. House of Representatives — a first for the party founded in 1971....
[Amash] has represented the Grand Rapids area for five terms and saw his national profile soar after he became the only GOP member of Congress to support Trump's impeachment. He split from the Republican Party a year ago, became an independent, then signed up with the Libertarian Party in April before launching an exploratory bid to run for president on the Libertarian ticket. Amash dropped that possibility after five weeks, citing extreme polarization in the country, resistance in the press to third-party candidates, and limited chances for 'lesser-known' candidates to secure media opportunities during the pandemic....
"Nathan Hewer, who represents Amash's congressional district on the state Libertarian Executive Committee, said there's a possibility Amash could be nominated at the state convention even if he doesn't show up in person.... If Amash is not the nominee, delegates will nominate another Libertarian to run for his seat, Hewer said, though he's personally hoping Amash still runs....
"Some party activists in Michigan would like to see Amash run for governor in two years, Hewer added, noting that Amash raised the possibility during question-and-answer forums he held with Libertarian caucuses during his exploratory bid for president. One concern he had was taking a job as a congressman and vacating the position halfway through to take a different position. That's a major concern he has,' Hewer said. 'I think he just wants to make sure he respects the office and does not take a job that he's not going to carry out to full term.'"
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/16/justin-amash-not-campaigning-re-election-representative-congress-michigan/5444677002/
July 16, 2020 - "When U.S. Rep. Justin Amash ended his exploratory bid for the presidency, Libertarian activists held out hope he would run for re-election to his seat in the U.S. House, where he is the first and only Libertarian to serve in Congress. It seems they are about to be disappointed.
"A top Amash aide reiterated this week that the West Michigan congressman idled his congressional campaign back in February. She also indicated Amash does not intend to seek the party's nomination at the Michigan Libertarian Party's convention in Gaylord this weekend. 'He hasn't been campaigning for any office and doesn't plan to seek the nomination for any office,' Amash adviser Poppy Nelson said by email. Amash himself confirmed he isn't seeking re-election to his House seat in a tweet Thursday night....
"That's not to say Amash, 40, is done with politics. Those familiar with his thinking suggested he wouldn't have joined the Libertarian Party this spring if he didn't intend to work within the organization and run for office again in the future. But Libertarians say they would be disappointed not to see Amash on the ballot after finally seeing one of their own among the ranks of the U.S. House of Representatives — a first for the party founded in 1971....
[Amash] has represented the Grand Rapids area for five terms and saw his national profile soar after he became the only GOP member of Congress to support Trump's impeachment. He split from the Republican Party a year ago, became an independent, then signed up with the Libertarian Party in April before launching an exploratory bid to run for president on the Libertarian ticket. Amash dropped that possibility after five weeks, citing extreme polarization in the country, resistance in the press to third-party candidates, and limited chances for 'lesser-known' candidates to secure media opportunities during the pandemic....
"Nathan Hewer, who represents Amash's congressional district on the state Libertarian Executive Committee, said there's a possibility Amash could be nominated at the state convention even if he doesn't show up in person.... If Amash is not the nominee, delegates will nominate another Libertarian to run for his seat, Hewer said, though he's personally hoping Amash still runs....
"Some party activists in Michigan would like to see Amash run for governor in two years, Hewer added, noting that Amash raised the possibility during question-and-answer forums he held with Libertarian caucuses during his exploratory bid for president. One concern he had was taking a job as a congressman and vacating the position halfway through to take a different position. That's a major concern he has,' Hewer said. 'I think he just wants to make sure he respects the office and does not take a job that he's not going to carry out to full term.'"
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