Justin Amash says his candidacy wouldnt tip 2020 election to Donald Trump – MLive.com

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash says he wont be a spoiler for Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Amash, who announced last week an exploratory committee to run for president as a Libertarian, addressed criticism that he would pull votes from Democrat Joe Biden and help Trump get re-elected in November.

The important thing is we dont know how the additional candidate changes a race. Its too impossible to figure out. There are too many calculations involved, Amash told Jake Tapper Sunday on CNNs State of the Union.

Amash, who left the Republican Party last summer, announced on Tuesday, April 27 that he launched a presidential exploratory committee.

After his announcement, some Trump critics said Amashs entrance into the race would only help the presidents re-election bid.

Former Republican Illinois congressman Joe Walsh wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post that, Amash cant win. But he can siphon enough votes from the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, to hand the election to Trump.

In Amashs home state of Michigan, Democrat Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes.

In the interview with Tapper, Amash called the two-party system dysfunctional and said most Americans are dissatisfied with their options. Tapper countered by saying that a CNN poll in March found that just over 10% of voters had an unfavorable view of both Trump and Biden.

When you look at a lot of different polling out there youll see that a good portion of the country, probably a plurality, is pretty independent, Amash said. If you make it a three-candidate field, and you have a compelling candidate, theyd be delighted to go to that candidate.

Related: Why Congressman Justin Amash believes he can win the presidency

Amash said his campaign is founded on respecting the constitution and fighting against the partisan death spiral in the Republican party that he left behind. He said that the polarization of politics has made it hard for Americans to work together.

These two factions that really control our political system are destroying our system, said Amash, who was first elected to Congress in 2010 during the conservative tea party wave. And making it impossible for the rest of us to, frankly, enjoy our lives.

Tapper also asked Amash to address the protest in Lansing in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay-at-home order.

Everyone has the right to protest and I think the governor overreached in a lot of ways and that upset a lot of people in the state of Michigan, Amash said. But when we protest we have to do it in a way that is appropriate.

Armed protesters stood in the Capitol expressing outrage over the stay-at-home order on Thursday, April 30. In the crowd on the Capitol steps were signs with swastikas and Whitmer doing a Nazi salute with a mustache similar to Adolf Hitler. Amash condemned those using Nazi symbols in their protest.

Whitmer, who was interviewed by Tapper earlier on Sunday, said the protest signs depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country.

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Michigan Congressman Justin Amash launches exploratory committee for presidential bid

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Justin Amash says his candidacy wouldnt tip 2020 election to Donald Trump - MLive.com