The sole Republican congressman to call for Trump's impeachment just left the GOP, and the move could cost him his congressional seat

Grace Panetta

Jul 6, 2019, 01:38 IST

The sole Republican congressman to call for Trump's impeachment just left the GOP, and the move could cost him his congressional seat

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Justin Amash

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan - the sole Republican member of Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump- announced on July 4 he is leaving the Republican Party.
In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Amash denounced what he perceived as a "partisan death spiral" in American politics and "declared his independence."
In mid-May, Amash broke with his party by calling for an impeachment inquiry against Trump for obstruction of justice, explaining his position in a number of Twitter threads.
Now that he's declared himself as an independent and left the Republican caucus, Amash will likely lose his place in the House Republican Conference and his committee assignments.
Furthermore, running as an independent means Amash will not receive the formal backing and infrastructural support of either major political party - making it difficult for him to win as an independent in his Republican-leaning district.
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Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan - the sole Republican member of Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump - announced on July 4 he is leaving the Republican Party to become an independent, and it could jeopardize his reelection prospects.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Amash denounced what he perceived as a "partisan death spiral" in American politics, with politicians incentivized to choose party over upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, calling the two-party system "an existential threat to American principles and institutions."

Amash, who represents Michigan's third congressional district, lamented that the two parties have grown more extreme and less representative of the American people, with party leaders using committee assignments and other perks to keep members in line with their preferred agenda.

He wrote: "Today, I am declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party. No matter your circumstance, I'm asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us."

In mid-May, Amash broke with his party by calling for an impeachment inquiry against Trump for obstruction of justice, explaining his position in a number of Twitter threads that garnered significant attention and put pressure on Democratic leaders to back an impeachment inquiry.

After being sharply criticized for his position on impeachment by Trump himself and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Amash also left the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, which he co-founded in early 2015 to promote fiscal responsibility and small-government principles.

Now that he's declared himself an independent and left the Republican caucus, Amash will likely lose his place in the House Republican Conference and his committee assignments, including his position on the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, as Politico's Jake Sherman noted in a Thursday tweet.

Amash's possible lack of committee assignments mean that he will be constrained in the benefits he can deliver back to his district, which could undermine his chances at getting re-elected.

Furthermore, running as an independent means Amash will not receive the formal backing and infrastructural support of either major political party - and winning as an independent will be a heavy lift in his reliably Republican district.

A few days after Amash backed impeachment proceedings against Trump, Michigan state Rep. Jim Lower - a Trump ally - announced his plan to primary Amash from the right, with Donald Trump Jr. signaling he planned for campaign for Lower.

Before Amash announced his switch to become an independent, a poll of 400 likely Republican primary voters conducted by Strategic National from June 29 to July 1 in Michigan's third district and reported on by Breitbart News found that 27% supported Lower, with Amash tied for second place at 17% with another Republican, Michigan State Rep. Lynn Afendoulis.

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