Reversing Course, Justin Amash Will Not Run for President

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Saturday that he would not run a 3rd party campaign for president in 2020.  

After much reflection, I’ve concluded that circumstances don’t lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 16, 2020

Amash, who left the Republican Party last summer to become an independent, announced in late April that he was forming an exploratory committee to seek the presidency. He officially joined the Libertarian Party, becoming its first U.S. House member.  He was expected to seek the party's nomination at its convention later this month.

As Michigan law precludes running for both president and congress, Amash said at the time he would not seek reelection to his House seat.  It is not clear if his position on that will shift with today's announcement.