Amash Beats Back Crony Republican’s Primary Challenge

Incumbent Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) survived a
closely-watched primary election Tuesday night, defeating
challenger Brian Ellis 55 percent to 45 percent and retaining the
Republican nomination for the west Michigan House seat. Ellis
conceded around 10:30 p.m. ET, according to the Grand
Rapids Press.

Amash, a liberty-friendly Republican whose principled opposition
to NSA spying, crony capitalism, and foreign entanglements has
earned him support from libertarians—as well as the enmity of the
GOP establishment—was forecast to win the race weeks ago.
However, his political survival was not always a matter of fact.
Neoconservative Republicans and corporatist special interests
backed Ellis early in the race. Their attempts to portray Amash as
the “best friend” of both Nancy Pelosi and al-Qaida backfired,
however. District voters
told Slate’s Dave Weigel that they were tired of Ellis’s
negative campaigning and agreed with Amash that it was wrong to
trade liberty for security.

Having secured the Republican nomination, Amash is all but
guaranteed to be re-elected in November. Undeniable good news: It
seems a libertarian Congressman can fight an uncompromising battle
against big government and big business and keep his seat, after
all.

Read more about why Justin Amash’s primary win
vindicates libertarian politics here.

And watch Reason TV’s interview with Amash below.