Nick Colvin, a former staffer for Barack Obama and an attorney, said Tuesday he is ending his campaign for Michigan's 3rd congressional district.
Colvin joined the race in a wave of candidates who jumped in to challenge Rep. Justin Amash (I-Grand Rapids) after the congressman gained national attention by being the first then-Republican to say President Donald Trump should be impeached. He then left the GOP to become an independent.
In a statement, Colvin cited financial issues as the reason he dropped out of the race.
"During this campaign, I've also seen firsthand the unfortunate significance our system continues to place on money," he said. "Personal and political wealth is still too often a prerequisite for participation. You have to be able to raise it and sustain it. In a competitive primary such as ours, with a primary in August, that has been a challenge for us all."
Colvin thanked his supporters for their time and encouragement during his 8-month campaign, saying he learned a lot about what voters in the 3rd district want.
"Ultimately, my desire for my community to receive the representation and support it deserves outweighs my personal ambitions or any belief that I can be the only person to provide it," Colvin said in his statement. "In a time riddled with constant fighting and division, I believe we should all seek to eliminate it wherever present and however we can, whatever that demands of us as individuals. Accordingly, I am suspending my campaign for Congress effective immediately."
Colvin was one of four Democratic candidates in the race. At the end of 2019, his campaign reported a fundraising total of over $347,000. The other leading Democrat in the race, immigration attorney Hillary Scholten, reported just over $361,000.
The two other candidates who have dropped out of the race, Democrat Doug Booth and Republican Jim Lower, also cited financial concerns. In the Republican primary, leading candidates include current state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, Grand Rapids businessman Joel Langlois and Peter Meijer, grandson to Fred Meijer, the founder of Meijer.
Colvin alludes to other candidates who have stronger financial backings, citing "the enormous personal wealth of billionaires on the other side of the race."
In the year-end campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission, Amash's campaign showed he outraised all the other candidates with over $1 million and he had $722,000 cash on hand as of Dec. 31. He was followed by Meijer, Langlois and Scholten.
Amash has represented the 3rd district since 2011. The district covers a large swath of West Michigan, including Ionia, Barry, and Calhoun counties and portions of Kent and Montcalm counties. Grand Rapids is the biggest metropolitan area in the district.
The 3rd district has been represented by a Republican since 1993—until Amash left the party.
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