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Michigan congressman facing primary challenge after backing impeachment

Posted at 8:42 AM, May 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-20 08:47:17-04

GREENVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, the first Republican in Congress to accuse President Donald Trump of impeachable conduct, is facing a primary challenge.

State Rep. Jim Lower announced Monday he's running for the western Michigan seat. The announcement came two days after Amash sent a series of tweets faulting Trump and Attorney General William Barr over special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The 30-year-old Lower, of Greenville, says he made the announcement earlier than planned after Amash attacked Trump.

Lower calls himself a "pro-Trump, pro-life, pro-jobs, pro-Second Amendment, pro-family values Republican." He is in his second term in the Michigan House after working as a legislative staffer and political consultant.

Amash was first elected in 2010 and overcame a 2014 primary challenge.