GRAND RAPIDS, MI – More than 200 protesters, angry that Congressman Justin Amash is the only Republican in Congress who supports impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, attended a “Squash Amash’’ in 2020 rally Friday outside his district office.

“Amash is an embarrassment to our party,’’ said Meshawn Maddock, co-founder of Michigan Trump Republicans, which organized the rally at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building.

“We don’t care if he steps down because we know he is not getting re-elected again because so many people in the 3rd District and statewide want him replaced. He has directly challenged our president and worked against him to join the Democrats in asking for his impeachment.’’

The event was planned to celebrate Trump’s birthday and to honor Flag Day, not just bash Amash’s impeachment stance and voting record. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to the president.

After reading special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, Amash tweeted in May that he believed the president “engaged in impeachable conduct.’’ He also said that Attorney General William Barr had deliberately misrepresented the findings of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Amash, R-Cascade Township, won a fifth term to his 3rd Congressional District seat in November, defeating Democrat Cathy Albro. He faced no primary challenger.

However, several protesters who lined the sidewalk along Michigan Street said they have been displeased with Amash in recent years but voted for him reluctantly or not at all, absent a strong Republican option.

“The last straw was him siding with Democrats to impeach Trump,’’ said Barbara Burns, of Rockford. “We voted Trump in because of his stance on things and he hasn’t supported him. Amash is not a Republican and we need someone who has our interests at heart.’’

Amash has said that he is a constitutional conservative and a libertarian. His office did not return calls or emails for comment on the rally.

Circulating among the crowd Friday were state Rep. Jim Lower, R-Greenville, and Army National Guard veteran Tom Norton, who have announced they will challenge Amash in the 2020 primary.

They were not among the speakers because Maddock, of Milford, said the rally was not about their specific campaigns but denouncing Amash.

Only a few Amash supporters were present at the event. Libertarian Patty Malowney, of Grand Rapids, held an Amash for President sign.

“I think he is a good choice for president, not just because he is Libertarian, but because he doesn’t align with one political party,’’ Malowney said.

“I think that’s what most Americans are looking for — someone that can be objective and principled. That’s why I like him.’’

Amash has not said he plans to run for president nor that he won’t. He doubled down on his impeachment position during a town hall that drew a largely supportive crowd.

Tom Horrigan, of Grand Rapids, said Amash shouldn’t be condemned for standing on principle.

“He had a tough decision to make and he followed his conscience,’’ he said.

But Nick VanBelkum, of Rockford, said Amash is not a good politician.

“The problem is nobody runs against him because he has so much money,’’ he said. "Hopefully, these type of things (rallies) will help because we need educated voters. He is terribly arrogant and that is all his voting record shows.’’

Michigan’s 3rd District includes Kent, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm and Calhoun counties and part of Grand Rapids.

But protesters came from across the state including Milford, Farmington Hills and Livonia.

Some protesters say Amash could be vulnerable now that the DeVos family is no longer backing him financially. The DeVos family — led by the late Amway co-founder Rich DeVos — has been an influential player in Republican politics for decades.

In May, the family said it was ending its longtime support of Amash. Nick Wasmiller, family spokesman, said the family has not made any political contributions to the congressman this cycle and had no plans to do so.

He said the family has experienced “increasing concerns about a lack of representation for the 3rd Congressional” district.

Tennessee businessman Jeff Webb, founder of The New American Populist political action committee, addressed the crowd along with Maddock and Diane Schindlbeck, of Fremont, the other co-founder of Michigan Trump Republicans.

"He has been fighting the president since day one,'' Schindlbeck said. "Trump won Michigan, Trump won Kent County, he is not even listening to his own voter base.''

At one point protesters were urged to join into an old but familiar chant about former Democratic Presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton — "Lock her up!'’

Webb’s group helped to promote and fund the event. He said he thinks Amash has been a Never Trumper from the beginning and their group is making constituents around the country aware of how certain elected officials have voted.

Besides impeachment, several protesters commented on Amash in 2017 being the only Republican vote against Kate’s Law. The then Republican-led House passed the legislation to crack down on illegal immigration and push a key Trump priority.

The bills imposed tougher sentences on criminals who have entered the U.S. illegally multiple times and cut off some federal grants from sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.

Amash said he voted against Kate’s Law because a provision in the legislation would deny Fifth Amendment due process to some criminal defendants.

In December, Amash was among eight Republicans who voted against a spending bill that included nearly $6 million for Trump’s proposed Mexico border wall.

He also joined a dozen Republicans who supported a resolution to block Trump’s emergency declaration to fund the border wall, as a misuse of emergency powers.

"Amash is not voting in the way I think or others in the district,'' said Grandville’s Wayne Weller.