On Friday, Peter Meijer, a former congressman and thorn in the side of former President Trump, announced he was ending his campaign for Senate in Michigan.
While serving in Congress, Meijer was a chief Republican critic of Trump, voting for impeachment after the mobbing of the United States Capitol in 2021. In turn, the former president primaried the Michigan congressman, but his choice of nominee handed the seat to the Democrats.
The Washington Examiner discussed the former congressman’s plans and the challenges he faced in trying to return to Washington.
Meijer shared in a post on Facebook that he lacked a “strong pathway to victory” and that the “fundamentals” of the race have significantly changed since he started his campaign six months ago.
“Continuing this campaign only increases the likelihood of a divisive primary that would distract from the essential goal — conservative victories in November,” Meijer said.
Meijer had hoped to take the vacant seat of Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who announced last year that after two decades, she would be retiring.
Republican strategists questioned Meijer’s chances to win the primary, considering the former President’s strong influence on the Michigan GOP, having won all 39 delegates at the state’s convention. For the Senate seat, Trump endorsed Mike Rogers, who served seven terms in the House and became the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The Republican ballot will also include Justin Amash, who was the only Republican congressman in favor of Trump’s first impeachment.
The Michigan Senate race could be one of the more important contests in the country this year. The Democrats are running Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, a former member of the CIA who worked with Biden during his infamous trip to Ukraine as vice president.
Meijer’s departure from the race leaves libertarian former Congressman Justin Amash and frontrunner, former Congressman Mike Rogers, who had been on Trump’s shortlist to replace James Comey as director of the FBI.
