Just 15 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, and now former Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) announced on X that he will enter the Michigan GOP Senate race. He will join a crowded field with 12 people vying for the seat in the general election, including former Reps. Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer. 

Amash posted, in part:

After thoroughly evaluating all aspects of a potential campaign, I’m convinced that no candidate would be better positioned to win both the Republican primary and the general election. That’s why, today, I’m making it official: I’m joining the race for United States Senate in Michigan... My parents arrived in the United States as teenagers in search of a better future—my father, a Palestinian refugee, and my mother, a Syrian immigrant. They instilled in me a love for America and for the values and principles at the heart of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. We live in the greatest country on earth, but the ideals that have made it great are increasingly taken for granted. People often feel helpless and hopeless, unheard and ignored by Washington, and trapped between opposing forces who reject America’s principles or don’t understand them... This is the land of liberty, and it’s on us to defend it. Thank you for standing with me.

When I established an exploratory committee for Senate, I understood the challenge ahead. Running for office requires an extraordinary commitment, not just from the candidate but also from family, friends, volunteers, and donors. A campaign puts them through so much. That’s…

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) February 29, 2024

For those who may not be familiar with the former GOP Rep., here are some facts about him: He opposes regulations to combat climate change. He is a fiscal conservative who supports limited federal spending and free trade policies. He believes the federal government should stay out of education — while in Congress, he cosponsored a bill to terminate the Department of Education. When it comes to the Second Amendment, Amash opposes gun control regulations. On healthcare, he wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. On Immigration, he wants to make it easier for those seeking a better life to come to America legally. In 2013, Fox News wrote a piece that Amash, who was 33 years old at the time, had been rising as the leading anti-war voice in Congress.

In 2019, Amash was the only GOP member who called for impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump, and he voted to impeach Trump after he switched from the GOP to the Libertarian Party. However, he recently stated that if he had the opportunity, he would vote to impeach every recent president. 

Back to the impeachment point. Look, I'd impeach every president. Let's be clear. I'm not the kind of person who's going to introduce impeachment legislation over every little thing that a president does wrong. When you introduce legislation to impeach a president, you have to have some backing for it... For example, I would definitely impeach President Biden over these unconstitutional wars 100 percent. But the idea of introducing impeachment legislation suggests there's other people who will join you... If we're going to impeach people, there has to be some public backing, which is why I try to make the case all the time for these impeachable offenses... But you've got to get the public behind you on that kind of stuff. I think that every president should be impeached, every recent president at least. 

In 2020, Amash thought about launching a bid for president as a Libertarian, but that was short-lived, and Jo Jorgensen was on the ballot for their party. Now, he is vying for the Senate seat in Michigan, a race that could decide which party holds the majority in the Senate. The Michigan primary will be held on August 6th.