The Congressman Who Says ‘No’
How many enemies does Rep. Justin Amash really have?
DEC 23, 2013, VOL. 19, NO. 15 • BY MARIA SANTOS
"Tables turn on the Michigan tea party”; “Business to tea party: Get out of our way”; “Donors Plot Against GOP Rebel”: Judging by the headlines, next year’s Republican primary in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District is shaping up as a referendum on the conservative incumbent’s dogged adherence to his limited-government principles—and a sign of gathering mainstream mobilization against the Tea Party.
But according to Brian Ellis, the business-backed financial consultant who is challenging two-term incumbent Justin Amash, the headlines have it all wrong: His campaign is not directed against the Tea Party. In fact, while he doesn’t go so far as to claim the label for himself, Ellis is trying to capture the Tea Party vote from Amash. “Let me put it this way,” he says, “I’ve talked to Tea Party folks in this district, and they’re not happy.”
Amash, the son of a wealthy Palestinian-American businessman of Christian background, is often likened to former congressman Ron Paul, another staunch House libertarian with national appeal among Tea Party voters. But, Ellis insists, the Grand Rapids area “is not a libertarian district, and I’m willing to stake my campaign on that.” Amash’s critics in the business community are also exasperated by his repeated defiance of the House GOP majority.
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Ellis is unimpressed. “He’s got his explanations for why he’s voted, but I don’t really care. I’m a businessman, I look at the bottom line.” He has no use for Amash’s constitutional scruples, remarking, “If something is unconstitutional, we have a court system that looks at that.”
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