Rep. Amash: I've Decided About My Third-Party Run

Sorry, libertarians—Rep. Justin Amash says he's no longer running for president. The political independent from Michigan announced Saturday he's dropping his third-party bid "after much reflection," calling the decision "difficult" and saying that "circumstances don't lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year." The former Republican announced in April that he was exploring a presidential run under the Libertarian Party banner, sparking much concern among Democrats, Republicans, and "Never Trumper" Republicans alike—each worried he would siphon off enough votes for their preferred candidate to lose, per Politico and the New York Times.

CNN notes that Amash took a few swipes at modern politics on his way out the campaign door: "Polarization is near an all-time high," he tweeted. "Electoral success requires an audience willing to consider alternatives, but both social media and traditional media are dominated by voices strongly averse to the political risks posed by a viable third candidate." He added that the Libertarian Party "is well positioned to become a major and consistent contender to win elections at all levels of government." Amash jumped into the media spotlight last May when he signaled support for impeaching President Trump, who then criticized Amash on social media and called him a "loser." (Amash turned heads by voting against an anti-lynching bill.)