Friend,
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 reason enough not to run for office unless there’s a
clear path to victory and a high likelihood of success.
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.
The past few years away from Congress have given me time to reflect
on the experiences that have shaped my life, the principles of liberty
that inspire me, and what my tenure in Congress meant to the people of
my community.
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.
So many times in my daily life, I’ve been approached by individuals
who want me to know how much it meant to them that I did exactly what
I said I’d do: that I upheld the Constitution regardless of the
political consequences, that I read the bills, that I explained my
votes, that I listened to the people I represented and held myself
accountable to them in open town halls—giving them an opportunity to
change my mind whenever we disagreed, and me an opportunity to change
theirs.
I feel an obligation to get back to this work, but the
circumstances of this upcoming election give it urgency.
Regardless of who wins the White House and Congress, the United
States will remain deeply polarized. What we need is not a rubber
stamp for either party, but an independent-minded senator prepared to
challenge anyone and everyone on the people’s behalf—someone focused
not on extending federal power so Republicans or Democrats in
Washington can achieve their political ends, but on ensuring that
Americans have the personal and economic freedom to pursue their own
ends.
As I wrote when I launched my exploratory committee: We need a
principled, consistent constitutional conservative in the
Senate—someone with a record of taking on the bipartisan oligarchy,
defending sound money and free speech, fighting the surveillance state
and military-industrial complex, and protecting all our rights.
The advantage is ours in this battle, but that doesn’t mean victory
will be easy. Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate, Mike Rogers, has
built his career on expanding the power of the state at the expense of
individual liberty, and the establishment will stop at nothing to get
him elected.
But I’d take you over them any day.
Your financial support will be critical in this contest, so please
give whatever you can at justinamash.com.
These resources will support our operation to collect petition
signatures to make the ballot and will allow us to build out our team
across the state.
Please also sign up at our website to let me know how you can
contribute your time and talents to this effort. I’ll need your
constant advocacy over the next several months. Videos, memes,
graphics, messages—anything you can do to get the word out—will make a
big difference.
This is the land of liberty, and it’s on us to defend it. Thank you
for standing with me.
Justin Amash
