Politics & Government

Capitol Connection

From our State Capitol in Lansing to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, WKAR is committed to explaining how the actions of lawmakers are affecting Michiganders. Political and government reporter Abigail Censky leads this section. There are also stories from Capitol correspondents Cheyna Roth, Rick Pluta and the Associated Press. As the 2020 presidential race begins, look here for reports on the role Michigan will play in electing or re-electing the president.

MI Rep. Amash Formally Withdraws From House GOP Caucus

WKAR Public Media | By Associated Press

Published July 8, 2019 at 6:36 PM EDT

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan has formally withdrawn from the House Republican conference, days after announcing he is leaving the GOP because he has become disenchanted with partisan politics and “frightened by what I see from it.”

Amash, who had been the only Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, told GOP leaders Monday he is withdrawing from the House GOP conference and resigning from the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Both decisions are effective immediately.

In an opinion article published July 4 in The Washington Post , Amash said partisan politics is damaging American democracy.

Amash told CNN Sunday he plans to run for his House seat as an independent, but declined to rule out a 2020 presidential bid against Trump.