Justin Amash
Justin A. Amash[2] (/əˈmɑːʃ/ ə-MAHSH;[3] born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2021. He was the second Palestinian-American member of Congress.[a] Originally a Republican, Amash left the GOP and became an independent on July 4, 2019.[5] In April 2020, he joined the Libertarian Party, leaving Congress in January 2021 as the only Libertarian to serve in Congress.
Justin Amash
Glenn Steil
April 18, 1980
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Republican (before 2019, 2024–present)[1]
Independent (2019–2020)
Libertarian (2020–2024)
Kara Day
3
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Amash was born to Palestinian and Syrian Christian parents who had immigrated to the United States. After high school, he studied economics at the University of Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, and briefly worked as a corporate lawyer and consultant before entering politics.
Amash represented the 72nd district in the Michigan House of Representatives for one term before being elected to Congress in 2010. He was the founder and chairperson of the Liberty Caucus and was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, which he left in June 2019. Amash received national attention when he became the first Republican congressman to call for the impeachment of Donald Trump, a position he maintained after leaving the party.
Amash formed an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in the 2020 election, before announcing in May of that year that he would not run for president. He did not seek reelection to Congress in 2020.
On February 29, 2024, Amash announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.[6]
Early life and education[edit]
Justin Amash was born on April 18, 1980, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the second of three sons born to Arab Christian parents who had immigrated to the United States. His father, Attallah Amash, is a Palestinian Christian whose family lived in Ramla until they were forcibly expelled by Israeli soldiers during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[7] Attallah and his family immigrated to the United States in 1956 when he was 16 through the sponsorship of an American pastor in Muskegon, Michigan.[7][8] Amash's mother, Mimi, is a Syrian Christian who met his father through family friends in Damascus, Syria, and the two married in 1974.[9][10][11][12]
Amash grew up in Kentwood, Michigan.[8] He first attended Kelloggsville Christian School in Kentwood, then Grand Rapids Christian High School, from which he graduated in 1998 as class valedictorian. He then attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with high honors. Amash then attended the University of Michigan Law School, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 2005.[12]
After graduating from law school, Amash spent less than a year as a lawyer at the Grand Rapids law firm Varnum LLP.[12] He then became a consultant to Michigan Industrial Tools Inc. (also known as Tekton Inc.), a company his father founded and owns.[13] He worked for his family's business for a year before being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2008.[14][15] Amash's two brothers also have positions at Michigan Industrial Tools.[16]
Political career[edit]
Michigan House of Representatives[edit]
Glenn Steil Sr., the incumbent state representative for Michigan's 72nd House District, was unable to run for reelection in the 2008 election due to term limits. Amash ran in the Republican primary and defeated four other candidates before defeating Democratic nominee Albert Abbasse in the general election.
During his initial tenure in the State House, Amash sponsored five resolutions and twelve bills, none of which were passed.[17] While in the State House, he began using his Twitter and Facebook pages to report his floor votes and explain his reasoning and had a government transparency page on his website that would allow people to view the members and salaries of his staff.[18][19]
Personal life[edit]
Amash and his wife Kara (née Day) married after graduating from college, having previously met at the high school they attended together.[224] They have a son and two daughters.[225][226] Several of his relatives were killed by an Israeli airstrike while sheltering in a church on October 19, 2023, during the Israel-Hamas War.[227]