WASHINGTON – Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., Confirmed Thursday night that he will not seek re-election to Congress this year.
“I love to represent our community in Congress. I always. This is my choice, but I will still miss it. Thank you for your trust ”, tweeted the libertarian congressman.
Amash also retweeted a report from The Detroit News that said he was not campaigning for reelection.
The congressman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His chief of staff, Poppy Nelson, told the newspaper: “He has not been campaigning for any office and does not plan to seek the nomination for any office.”
In April, Amash said in an interview with Reason magazine that he had no intention of returning to his campaign in Congress because he was focused on running for president. However, he announced in May that, after all, he would not be running for president this year, ending a short-lived exploratory campaign.
“After much reflection, I came to the conclusion that the circumstances do not lend themselves to my success as a presidential candidate this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate,” he tweeted at the time.
Amash, who has served in Congress since 2011, announced in July 2019 that he would be leaving the Republican Party. Earlier this year, he became the first Republican to say that President Donald Trump engaged in impeccable conduct related to the investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 election.
Amash then voted to remove the president for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by his dealings with Ukraine. Trump was acquitted during a Senate trial.
