Will John Boehner Be Able To Defeat Independent-Minded Republican Justin Amash In A Primary?

Last year, when Justin Amash first ran for reelection to Congress in a west Michigan district centered on Grand Rapids and Battle Creek (MI-03) the Democratic Party put up a corrupt conservative hack, Steve Pestka, who could never beat him. It was the first time ever, DWT suggested voters consider voting for a Republican over a Democrat. Obama had narrowly beaten McCain in 2008, but fell short against homeboy Mitt Romney, 177,772 (53%) to 153,053 (46%). Almost 10,000 of those Obama voters didn't bother casting ballots for Pestka-- an anti-Choice fanatic-- that day. Three months before election day, I wrote that Amash had voted with the Democrats more than almost any other Republican.

After Ron Paul leaves, [Amash] will be the voice of American libertarianism inside Congress. And he also votes more with the Democrats than 8 Blue Dogs, 8 Blue Dogs very much like Pestka. We've never endorsed a Republican before. I know Amash is much more of an anti-war candidate than Pestka. And he's not as extreme as Pestka in the War Against Women conservatives are waging. They're both anti-Choice but Pestka doesn't allow for an exception for rape and incest and I hear that Amash does. I need to check that out. When David Malone, PAC Director of Right to Life of Michigan was asked why they didn't endorse Amash this year, he said "Right to Life of Michigan PAC has chosen not to endorse the candidacy of Representative Amash in the 2012 primary election. While he was previously endorsed in the 2010 general election and during his time in the state legislature, his voting record in Congress led the state board of the Right to Life of Michigan PAC to decide to not endorse his candidacy in the upcoming election. In his first term in Congress, Representative Amash voted "present" twice on legislation to defund Planned Parenthood (America's leading abortion provider) and voted "no" on legislation to outlaw sex-selection abortions." Michigan Right to Life rated Pestka's voting record 100% when he was in the state legislature and he did join the extremists in voting to defund Planned Parenthood. Steve Israel forced the DCCC to add Pestka to their endorsed list within hours of his victory.

Amash beat him on election day 171,675 (53%) to 144,108 (44%). Amash may have a much tougher fight ahead of him this cycle. The Establishment wing of the GOP-- having tasted blood last Tuesday when they beat Tea Party activist Dean Young in a southern Alabama primary run-off-- wants to use Amash as an object lesson to other disobedient Republicans. Boehner and Ryan already punished him once by kicking him off the Budget Committee. Now he's stuck with the worst and most pointless committee assignment in Congress-- Darrell Issa's laughable Witch Hunt Committee. But now Boehner and his clique want Amash out of Congress altogether. And they know better than to count on an incompetent loser like Steve Israel to get the job done. We've been talking about it since September and yesterday, The Hill conformed that the GOP Establishment plot to take down Justin Amash is in full swing. Instead of pointing the finger at Boehner, Cantor and Ryan, they blame "business leaders" who are trying to blame Amash for the government shutdown (that every single Republican in Congress voted for).

In a letter obtained by The Hill, prominent Michigan donors request financial backing for Amash’s primary challenger, Brian Ellis. Seven individuals, including prominent Michigan businessmen Mark Bissell, J.C. Huizenga and Mike Jandernoa, signed the fundraising plea.

They argue that Amash “and others have effectively nullified the Republican majority in the U.S. House.”

“[Amash] and a small group of like-minded legislators rejected Speaker Boehner’s plea to pass legislation requiring Congress and the president be subject to ObamaCare, and put on hold the special new tax on medical equipment. This irresponsible action hurt over 50 great West Michigan businesses and was part of the chaos that led the nation to the edge of default,” the letter says.

The letter was printed on Ellis’s campaign stationery.

“These are folks I’ve known for a long time, and they’re excited about my candidacy,” Ellis told The Hill.

Ellis said his supporters have expressed frustration with the conservative wing of the GOP and the shutdown strategy.

“To a large degree, they’re not happy with the faction that my opponent represents,” he said.

“I'm hearing it from everybody. [The shutdown was] no way to run a country. It's no way to govern.”

Amash is among a rebel bloc of House Republicans who pushed Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to make stand on ObamaCare in the fight over the government shutdown and the debt ceiling.

The tactic infuriated business groups, several of which have threatened to enter into GOP primaries in order to defeat hardliners in the GOP.

Amash has also been a thorn in the side of leadership, and was one of a handful of Republicans who orchestrated a failed attempt to oust Boehner earlier this year.

Conservative groups are aware of the challenge to Amash, are pledging to match the business community “punch-for-punch” to defend one of their champions in Congress.

“He’s the gold standard of principled constitutionalism in Congress,” said Dean Clancy, the vice president of public policy at FreedomWorks.

“We have heard that the K-Street establishment wants to knock him off-- and we intend to defend him punch-for-punch.”

An aide to Amash’s congressional campaign said the letter’s signatories don’t speak for the Grand Rapids business community, and noted that the congressman has substantial business support.

Executives at direct-selling giant Amway, for example, are backing Amash.

The Amash campaign shared with The Hill a letter from Doug DeVos, Amway’s president, calling on donors to support the lawmaker. In addition, Steve Van Andel, Amway’s chairman who also chairs the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, has already contributed the maximum $5,200 allowed to Amash’s campaign for the 2014 election cycle.

…Michigan’s 3rd District appears to be another front in the battle between the Tea Party and business wings of the party, which is being fought on the local level.

This will be another manifestation of the bitter civil war in the Republican Party, But Justin Amash is very popular in his district and he's on an entirely different playing field than Dean Young, who is certifiably insane. I'd bet on Amash to win big at primary time and then defeat whatever worthless tool-- like Pestka-- Steve Israel finds to run against him.