KENT COUNTY, MI – State Rep. Jim Lower, R-Greenville, has ended his bid to unseat U.S Rep. Justin Amash, a former Republican who is now running as an independent for Michigan’s 3rd District in Congress.

Undisclosed “changes in our family” would make serving in Washington, D.C., “very difficult,” Lower said in a statement.

“When I got into this race I firmly believed West Michigan needed a new voice in Congress and more effective, responsive representation by someone who knows how to get things done in a very challenging environment. I still believe that,” he said.

Lower said he had strong “grassroots support” early on but “other candidates with vast personal wealth have since entered the race and donors have started to take a more cautious approach with Amash out of the Republican Primary.”

In July, Republican Peter Meijer, the grandson of late retail magnate Fred Meijer, entered the race. Joel Langlois, owner of the DeltaPlex Arena and The Intersection music venue, also announced he was seeking the Republican nomination that month.

Lower said that he and most of his supporters do not come from wealth, which would make it difficult to be competitive in a long campaign.

With Lower leaving the race, four Republicans and four Democrats have announced they will run for Amash’s position. Candidates for the August 2020 primary have until April 21, 2020, to file with the Michigan Secretary of State.

The other candidates seeking the Republican nomination are: state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, R-Grand Rapids Township, and Tom Norton, a former Sand Lake Village Trustee.

Amash, I-Cascade Township, has represented the 3rd Congressional District since 2011. He left the Republican Party in July after being embroiled in controversy since May, when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Lower urged voters to select a Republican rather than Amash or a Democrat. He will finish his term as a state representative and not seek re-election in 2020.

There are two Democrats running for the seat: Hillary Scholten, of Grand Rapids, an immigration attorney; Nick Colvin, of Saranac, an attorney at the law firm Miller Canfield; Emily Rafi, and Amanda Brunzell.

The 3rd District includes most of Kent County, a portion of Montcalm County, as well as Ionia, Barry and Calhoun counties.

Amash has said the district is “independent-minded, and I have a good relationship with the district.”