US Representative Justin Amash, who left the Republican Party amid frustrations over US President Donald Trump and then voted for his impeachment, on Tuesday announced that he was preparing a run for president as a third-party candidate.
“Let’s do this,” the independent lawmaker from Michigan said in announcing that he had launched an exploratory committee, a strong sign that he would make a long-shot bid for the White House.
Amash, an independent since quitting the Republican Party last summer, is seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party, which promotes civil liberties and limited government.
Photo: AFP
“We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together,” Amash said on Twitter. “I’m excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.”
Amash, 40, would jump into a race that already features its main protagonists: Trump and the presumptive Democratic nominee, former US vice president Joe Biden.
A third-party victory would be highly unlikely, but Amash has the potential for reshaping the race should he be on the ballot in November.
It remains unclear whether he would have a greater effect on Trump or Biden. He could draw support from Republicans or independents frustrated with Trump. Likewise, he could earn votes from Democrats who are unhappy about Biden’s candidacy.
In 2016, Green Party nominee Jill Stein drew thousands of votes from the Democratic candidate, former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson earned about 3 percent of the national vote.
Amash has long been a vocal Trump critic. Elected to the US House of Representatives in 2010, he often pushes for a more open legislative process, including input from rank-and-file members, greater government accountability and reduced federal spending.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese