Michigan legislative action thread
Posted on 04/24/2013 6:08:46 PM PDT by cripplecreek
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, is being pressured to stay out of the race for retiring Sen. Carl Levin's seat by libertarian power brokers Ron and Rand Paul.
That's according to a National Journal article published Wednesday that examines the potential candidacies of Amash and fellow Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Howell.
According to the article, rumors are flying that Amash — branded in several national media articles as the "next Ron Paul" — is being cautioned against a run by the elder Paul and Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator:
But perhaps most illustrative of the tension between the two camps comes from recent chatter that Amash is being pressured by Ron and Rand Paul to stay out of the Senate race. Amash, the thinking goes, would be better-served as the chief libertarian voice in the lower chamber, rather than risking his young career on a statewide race in which the Democratic nominee would likely be favored.
Amash could "pick up where Ron left off [in the House]," said one GOP consultant. "They can't afford to lose him. He is more valuable to them as an asset in the House than as a candidate for Senate."
Amash is a known ally of both Ron and Rand Paul, having appeared at rallies and campaign functions for the former during his failed presidential run in 2012.
During Rand Paul's recent 13-hour filibuster against one of President Barack Obama's appointees over drone strikes, Amash looked on from the Senate gallery and expressed his support on social media.
The article included an unnamed Amash aide denying claims the Pauls were advising Amash against a run. Amash spokesman Will Adams declined to comment on the article.
Adams said there is no "specific" timetable for Amash to announce whether he'll run for the seat being vacated by Levin.
Republicans have identified the seat as a rare chance for the party, though many note Michigan leans Democratic in statewide elections.
Despite electing a majority of Republicans to congressional seats in the 2012 election, the state went handily to President Barack Obama.
What's more, Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow thumped Republican Pete Hoekstra, a former West Michigan congressman, by double digits in that election.
Articles, including the National Journal's, note Amash has the political moxie and celebrity to mount a formidable run.
Still, many have noted his lack of statewide name recognition, reputation for criticizing his own party and his renegade tendencies could be his undoing.
Rogers also has not said whether he will run, but the National Journal painted him as the favorite potential contender among state Republican leaders.
Conversely, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox seemed critical of a Rogers run in the National Journal's article, saying Rogers is "so full of [expletive] to begin with."
West Michigan politician Terri Lynn Land, a former Michigan Secretary of State, also has expressed interest in running for the seat.
Amish is an awesome rep! I would hate to see him go through the mill of a Senate race right now. He might be too green for it.
Jesus I hope the Mich. GOP doesn’t screw this one up. It’s almost a easy pick-up.
It should have been an easy pick up for Hoekstra but he apparently decided that he didn’t want to be too hard on Stupidcow.
Elective strategy is far from an exact science, but a lot of it can be based on hard data anyway. Lots of angles to consider.
To start with, the Democrats will be going into the senate races at a strong disadvantage, with 6(*) Democrat senators retiring, some from red states, so there is a very good chance of the Republicans capturing the senate. But the greater the margin of victory, the less important the RINOs will be.
(*) Max Baucus of Montana, Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Tim Johnson of South Dakota.
However, in House politics, the Republicans are very likely to keep the House, and he is probably a shoe-in to keep his House seat. As such, his big priority will be to get state level name recognition, and try for the US senate next time against Debbie Stabenow.
Explain. Was he that weak as a campaigner? Or was it truly hopeless to win against Stab-A-Cow.
He shouldn’t have been weak but after winning the primary he just kinda faded away.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform
LATimes.com | March 19, 2013 | Michael A. Memoli
Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3010596/posts
Thanks cripplecreek.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.