GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Just when the 2020 president race seemed to quiet down, Re. Justin Amash announces that he will seek the Libertarian Party's nomination for president.
Amash told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that making the decision to do so was difficult, but he believes we need leadership in Washington.
"When I look at the presidential field I see two candidates who really aren't cut out for it," Amash says. "I don't want to run to be a spoiler."
Dr. Douglas L. Koopman is a professor of Political Science at Calvin University. He says Amash doesn't have a chance at winning the presidential election, but he could successfully take votes away from the Republican party.
"There is hanging out there a set of voters who are upset with the establishment and Trump got most of those votes four years ago," says Dr. Koopman. "To some extent Donald Trump is the Republican establishment and of course Joe Biden is quintessentially the Democratic party establishment. And so you do have these protest voters, these alienated voters these angry voters so you have an added flock of potential voters who might vote for Amash."
Amash has not officially suspended his congressional campaign, independents have until mid July to do so. None-the-less, it will make things even more interesting in the 3rd Congressional district.
3rd Congressional district hopeful Peter Meijer (R) told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that he is glad to see with the absence of Amash, the race return to a traditional democrat versus republican match-up.
"Frankly very relived that now that that he’s running for president we can focus on issues of the district rather than speculation," Meijer says.
Experts agree that not unlike Amash's political style, his decision to run on a third party ticket could set off a trend.
"Will there be other people who have a decent set of qualifications? And I think Congressman Amash has a good set of qualifications," says Dr. Koopman." Will they look for other third parties like the green party or will there be a taxpayer party, someone who has public service experience. So will there be trend of seven or eight minor parties, or will it really be republican, democrat, libertarian, green? I can imagine that there might be several candidates with significant name I.D.s running as independents, and running as nominees of one of the major-minor parties."
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