There is no evidence in modern history that a third-party candidate running for president can do anything more than take votes from a major party candidate. If there was a lane for an independent candidate, one would think that Michael Bloomberg or Bernie Sanders would have had run as such. So why does Rep. Justin Amash think he has a chance? The Michigan congressman switched his affiliation from Republican to Independent last July, but this past week changed again, this time to Libertarian. Today he told CNN”s Jake Tapper:
“There’s an opening for a Libertarian party to become a major party in this country.”
But it’s not clear what opening he is referring to. And this answer did little to clarify that statement.
“We don’t know how the additional candidate changes a race. It’s too impossible to figure out… So, the most important thing is that we have a ballot. If you want to vote for someone, you vote for that person.”
Amash isn’t officially in the race. Right now he’s formed an exploratory committee to consider whether it’s a viable option. But judging by initial reaction, most of the feedback doesn’t seem all that positive.
