Tea Party Favorite Amash Draws GOP Primary Opponent
Michigan businessman Brian Ellis on Tuesday is launching a Republican primary campaign against Rep. Justin Amash, an outspoken leader of the House tea party faction and heir to former congressman Ron Paul’s libertarian mantle.
Rep. Julian Amash (R-Mich.) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Amash, 33, has alienated some business leaders in his Grand Rapids district since first winning election in 2010 amid a tea party wave. Some business leaders say they would prefer a more mainstream conservative congressman who would get along with House leadership.
Yet Ellis is casting himself not as a moderate but as a conservative, attacking Amash from the right. In a statement announcing his 2014 campaign, Ellis highlighted Amash’s votes against Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget and a tax cut for small businesses. He also raised Amash’s “present” votes on a Keystone Pipeline bill and on a measure to prevent tax dollars from funding Planned Parenthood, a group that provides abortions.