Former Republican Justin Amash Faces Huge Backlash for Third Party Presidential Bid

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There’s been major backlash following Congressman Justin Amash’s announcement that he’s exploring a third party presidential run. The former Republican had been teasing the idea for some time.

Amash resigned from the Republican Party because of his opposition to President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, he said he’d created an exploratory committee for a presidential bid as a Libertarian.

“Today, I launched an exploratory committee to seek the [Libertarian] nomination for president of the United States. Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people,” he tweeted.

“We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. I’m excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.”

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Amash’s decision won immediate condemnation and criticism, especially from conservatives opposed to President Trump.

“The number of states won by third-party or independent presidential candidates from 1972 to the present: ZERO,” tweeted lawyer George Conway.

“The best popular-vote performance since 1912 by a third-party or independent presidential candidate was by Ross Perot in 1992. He received 19,743,821 votes, 18.9% of the total votes cast. An incredible achievement. He got ZERO votes in the electoral college.”

Conway is married to Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway but is a vocal critic of his wife’s boss.

Former Republican Tom Nichols was even more critical. He claimed a third party bid would see Trump back in office.

“There is zero chance – zero – that Justin Amash will win the presidency,” Nichols said.

“There is plenty of chance that Amash’s votes will not come from Trump’s cult, but at Biden’s expense. There is a large chance this will reelect Trump. Thanks for being the new Ralph Nader.”

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Darragh Roche

Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media