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Brief

Justin Amash | Gage Skidmore via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash — the body’s sole Libertarian who briefly flirted with a third-party presidential run — confirmed on Twitter Thursday night that he’s not running for reelection this fall. He did not file to run as an independent and is not seeking the Libertarian nomination.
“I love representing our community in Congress. I always will. This is my choice, but I’m still going to miss it,” he tweeted. “Thank you for your trust.”
I love representing our community in Congress. I always will. This is my choice, but I’m still going to miss it.
Thank you for your trust.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 17, 2020
Amash has represented the 3rd Congressional District anchored in Grand Rapids since 2011. He was elected as a Republican during the tea party wave, but left the party in 2019 to become an independent over his support for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. He later joined the Libertarian Party as he considered running for president on the ticket. In May, he announced he would not.
A spirited race is underway to replace Amash in the GOP-leaning district.
Immigration attorney Hillary Scholten is running unopposed on the Democratic side. The Republicans running are Meijer retailer heir Peter Meijer, state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis (R-Grand Rapids Twp.), Joe Farrington, Thomas Norton and Emily Rafi.
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