LANSING — It’s the wild, wild (Mid)west here in the Michigan GOP Senate Showdown. Justin Amash entered the “jumbled” primary, throwing an “unexpected curveball” to Republicans who are going at it — “jump[ing] at the chance… to bash” each other. 

Republicans are “scrambled” as the GOP field gets bigger, and the infighting is only getting more brutal. Amash wasted no time, “tak[ing] shots” at his opponents for being “phonies” and specifically calling out Rogers for his “terrible positions” that will make voters “run away and run away fast.”

Here’s the latest on the Republicans’ “jumbled” and “crowded” primary: 

• Amash came in swinging, attacking his opponents for being “a lot of phonies” and declaring that “no candidate would be better positioned to win both the Republican primary and the general election.”

• Amash did not hold back in his criticism of Rogers, bashing him for his “terrible positions,” and even going on to say “as people begin to learn about who Mike Rogers is, I think they’re gonna run away and run away fast.” 

• Amash described Rogers as an “an easy candidate to defeat” and being “Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate.”

• Rogers’ campaign slammed Amash for “accomplish[ing] nothing for the people of Michigan.”

• Pensler didn’t waste any time welcoming Amash to the race, attacking Rogers, Meijer, and Amash for their stances on Trump.

• Detroit News and Crain’s Detroit pointed out the bad blood between Rogers and Amash. Rogers and Amash are “rival[s]” who had “repeatedly clashed” and “sparred over national security issues,” which led to Rogers “help[ing] raise money to try to oust Amash.”

• Spotted: Republicans in disarray. “Republicans had hoped to avoid messy primaries,” but instead they got another addition to the “crowded” field. The NRSC “took a swipe” in response to Amash’s announcement. 

• Political commentator Dennis Lennox griped about Amash not “be[ing] true to himself nor honest with the voters” by running in the Republican primary. 

• Vivek Ramaswamy called Rogers out for being an “establishment-backed candidate.”

• A picture is worth a thousand words. And according to Republican strategist John Yob, “if you could use AI to design the worst 2024 candidate,  it would literally give you a picture of Mike Rogers.”

• Republican activist Meshawn Maddock weighed in, saying Rogers’ team was running their campaign “like it’s 1999.”

• Rogers faced scrutiny after attempting (and failing) to run away from his dangerous anti-IVF views. News outlets set the record straight and pointed out Rogers “co-sponsored a series of measures attempting to define human life as beginning at the moment of fertilization” in Congress, which would have had the same effect as the Alabama ruling.

• Pensler delighted in having another opportunity to whack Rogers over his stance on Trump.

See for yourself: 

JR Afternoon: Justin Amash: “You have a lot of phonies who run for office. And I’m going to stand against these phonies.”

Detroit News: Amash makes Republican bid for U.S. Senate in Michigan, takes shots at rival

• Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash… said Thursday he will run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, joining a crowded field that includes a rival from his days in Congress.
• …Businessman Sandy Pensler of Grosse Pointe Park, who jumped at the chance Thursday to bash Amash.
• “The Never Trump lane just got wider with Justin Amash joining CNN Mike Rogers and impeachment Peter Meijer in the Never Trump lane,” Pensler tweeted.  “@MikeRogersForMI and @justinamash have spent 5 years bashing Trump openly. I am the only pro-Trump candidate with the resources that can win.”
• The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is backing Rogers, also took a swipe.
• “And here we thought Peter Meijer was the biggest Trump hater in this race,” NRSC spokesman Mike Berg tweeted, a reference to Meijer’s support for Trump’s second impeachment.
• Jumping into the Senate primary was attractive to Amash in part for the opportunity to block Rogers from becoming the party’s Senate nominee, he said.
• “It’s attractive in large part because he’s an easy candidate to defeat. He has terrible positions,” Amash said.
• “His voting record is maybe the worst voting record you could have in a Republican primary in 2024, and as people begin to learn about who Mike Rogers is, I think they’re gonna run away and run away fast,” Amash added.
• “He’s terrible on every issue that Republican voters care about: He terrible on the Constitution. He’s terrible on process. He’s terrible on foreign policy and wars. He’s terrible on surveillance. He’s terrible on spending and debt — on all issues.”
• Amash while in Congress repeatedly clashed with Rogers, who chaired the House Intelligence panel, over Amash’s push for reforms to government surveillance methods and other national security issues when they served together. Rogers even raised money for Amash primary opponent Brian Ellis in 2014…
• Amash’s Thursday announcement also knocked the former congressman from Brighton as the GOP establishment’s and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s “handpicked candidate,” saying Rogers “built his career on expanding the power of the state at the expense of individual liberty.”
• “Meanwhile, Justin has accomplished nothing for the people of Michigan, but has a distinguished Democrat voting record, including impeaching President Trump,” Rogers spokesman Chris Gustafson said. “We hope he finds a party that fits him one day.”

Crain’s Detroit: Justin Amash jumps into increasingly crowded U.S. Senate race

• There is a history between Rogers and Amash. After announcing he would not seek re-election in 2014, Rogers — who chaired the House Intelligence Committee — helped raise money to try to oust Amash, according to Politico.

Politico: “Republicans had hoped to avoid messy primaries… but the entry of yet another Republican in Michigan… means the party will have to wait to see who emerges from its August 6 primary first.”

Vivek Ramaswamy: “I said, look, you’re running against [Rogers], an establishment-backed candidate…”

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The post RELEASE – Senate Showdown Amash Edition: Republicans are “Scrambled” as Amash Jumps Into “Crowded” Race and “Takes Shots” at Opponents appeared first on Michigan Democratic Party.