Justin Amash Drops Third-Party White House Bid: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Representative Justin Amash said Saturday he’s dropping his bid to run for president for the Libertarian Party.

The Republican-turned-independent from Michigan said on Twitter “that circumstances don’t lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate.”

Amash, 40, said he’s spent three weeks assessing the state of the 2020 race and watching the Libertarian Party’s plans unfold, as well as soliciting feedback from family, friends and others.

A recent poll by Monmouth University showed that Amash, a critic of President Donald Trump, was unlikely to shake up the 2020 race. Still, third-party candidates historically have had an impact, at the margins, on the mostly head-to-head contests for the Oval Office -- especially in close state contests.

GOP Convention in N.C. Still On For August (9:59 a.m.)

The Republican National Committee still plans to hold its 2020 convention in North Carolina in August, even with future mass gatherings uncertain in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The GOP’s convention committee sent an email on Saturday “celebrating 100 days until Aug. 24,” the meeting’s kick-off date. Nearly 50,000 people had been expected to attend the event, at which President Donald Trump will be nominated for a second term.

“The 100-day mark is a significant benchmark as it’s when all of our planning and preparation moves into execution mode,” said Marcia Lee Kelly, president of the RNC’s Committee on Arrangements.

Kelly wrote in a column for Fox News that planners are taking “meaningful steps” on health and safety. That include this month’s hiring of Dr. Jeffrey Runge, a former Homeland Security official, to help with preparations.

North Carolina’s stay-at-home order is set to expire May 22. Governor Roy Cooper has announced a three-phase plan for reopening parts of the state’s economy. Phase one is under way; phase three may start by late June.

Coming up:

Oregon is to hold its Democratic primary on May 19. The state has conducted all statewide contests by mail since 1998.

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