GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Justin Amash handily beat Democratic challenger Bob Goodrich to secure his seat in Congress for a third term.

Amash, a Republican from Cascade Township, established a Libertarian reputation during his first two terms and has been a staunch defender of civil liberties and the U.S. Constitution.

Movie theater owner Goodrich waged a campaign to unseat the congressman, but admitted it likely would be too steep of a challenge in a district with a Republican lean.

As predicted, Amash held a commanding lead over Goodrich for most of the evening Tuesday, Nov. 4. He was up 58 to 39 percent as of 11:30 p.m. About 15 percent of precincts had yet to report.

The re-elected congressman offered an olive branch to Goodrich in his victory speech to supporters at downtown Grand Rapids' Peppino's restaurant — a 180-degree turn in tone compared to his fiery primary speech with then-challenger Brian Ellis.

"It was a civil campaign," said Amash of Goodrich. "He cares a lot about civil liberties issues, I know he's been involved in the local ACLU.

"I think there are some areas of overlap where we can work together to protect people's rights."

After months of campaigning, projections indicate the Republican Party will continue to hold the U.S. House and take the Senate. Amash said the two sides of Congress need to get on the same page on critical issues that have been neglected — the National Security Agency's domestic spying programs, fighting ISIS and balancing a budget, to name a few.

If Republicans cannot determine an agenda that's appealing to the American people, Amash warns the party won't stay in charge for long.

Goodrich said he knew he had little chance of ousting Amash. Still, he said he was surprised that voters didn't talk more about economic and employment challenges during the campaign.



He wants Amash to take a more pragmatic look at people's day-to-day lives during his next term in Congress.

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“When he’s talking about Constitutionality and liberty, he’s assuming people have the basics. It’s almost like he avoids thinking about problems,” Goodrich said at

a party for state Rep. Winnie Brinks

at Meanwhile Bar in Grand Rapids. “The biggest problem here is not Ebola. It’s not ISIS. It’s the economy. Not everybody has a good income. “How do we get people to talk about reality?”

Amash admits there still is work to build a better economy. As a newly minted third-term member, he said he'll represent the interests of all constituents and their needs, not corporate interested and their "wants."

Emily Goodger, an Amash supporter from Grand Rapids, backs him for civil liberty issues and the fight against the NSA.

"I think that's probably our biggest fight now as citizens," she said. "They allege it's for our safety but in the end, it ends up being intrusive."

MLive.com and The Grand Rapids Press reporter Matt Vande Bunte contributed to this report.

Andrew Krietz covers breaking, politics and transportation news for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at akrietz@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.