Washington Monument

The U.S. Capitol is seen the 500-foot level of the Washington Monument in Washington, Monday, May 12, 2014, as it re-opens to the public. U.S. Rep. Justin Amash is looking to retain his seat in the upcoming August primary election.

(AP Photo)

Grand Rapids businessman Brian Ellis and U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The primary race between Rep. Justin Amash and businessman Brian Ellis likely is the one to watch this year when it comes to the state of the Republican Party.

A national media outlet has taken a closer look at the region in recent days as incumbent Amash, R-Cascade Township, works to fend off a challenger who already has secured the wallets of some of the area's most prominent business leaders. Ellis' backing from deep-pocketed donors — in addition to Tea Party losses in primary races last week — has some questioning whether Amash's chances for a third term may be steeper against a louder establishment base.

“The early indications are the Tea Party candidates across the country aren’t faring terribly well,” said Donald Zinman, an associate professor of political science at Grand Valley State University. “Most of the time, you have an establishment candidate as the incumbent.

“Now, the roles are reversed.”

Amash first was elected in 2010 as the Tea Party's calls for smaller government and federal debt reduction grew into focus. His libertarian-leaning views have been popular with Third District voters, and they elected him to another term in 2012.

Hold on tight, West Michigan: Politico writes we may be entering the beginning stages of an "epic throwdown ... between the business community, usually reluctant to play in a Republican primary, and big conservative outsiders, including the Koch brothers and the Club for Growth, who are dumping money into Amash's campaign."

Shortly after Ellis announced plans to unseat the congressman, a letter was distributed across the district in an effort to attract donations to the new campaign. Ex-Amash donors, including J.C. Huzienga, former Perrigo CEO Mike Jandernoa and Bissell Inc.'s Mark Bissell, are among seven businesspeople who urged their colleagues to throw support behind Ellis, too.

Meijer Inc. President Mark Murray also signed the letter, which criticizes Amash on several votes taken in Congress that haven't sat well with the business community. One in particular was Amash's stance not to reopen the federal government during the shutdown.

Jandernoa told an MLive business reporter at the time that the shutdown was a disappointment.

"It's just more uncertainty in West Michigan ... with the challenges of 'Obamacare' and the uncertainty and you add the shutdown on top of it, it complicates things for everybody, unfortunately," Jandernoa said.

Amash isn't without his own business supporters, though, with one high-profile family at the helm. Richard DeVos Sr. and wife Helen most recently donated at least $10,000 toward the general election, on top of tens of thousands more toward the primary and general elections. Additionally, conservative special interest group Club for Growth dumped least $108,500 to run television advertisements against Ellis.

Amash’s war chest amounts to more than $841,000 versus Ellis’ $413,423, and that amount of money could tighten any race, Zinman said.

Related: Challenger Brian Ellis' personal loans to unseat Rep. Justin Amash an 'investment' toward campaign

“Amash’s incumbency could serve him well in a primary, but if the party establishment is able to back up a lot of money in a challenger, then that has to be taken seriously,” Zinman added.

The Detroit News reported fellow Republicans in the Michigan delegation haven't been quick to support Amash, rather, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers said he'd "likely" support Ellis.

Third District voters ultimately will decide whether Amash stays or another provides a new path forward. Like other politicians, including Kentucky’s Rand Paul and Minnesota’s Michelle Bachmann, Zinman explained Amash has been able to build a reputation beyond lines on a localized map. Each have some sort of a national following, and each have been rejected one way or another by their party.

“It’s possible for a politician to build a national following of small dollar contributors they can count on,” Zinman said. “(Amash) has a lot of support out there … his election was not a fluke, it was not an accident or aberration.

“If it were, he’d be tossed out in 2012.”

Andrew Krietz covers breaking and general police/fire news for MLive | The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at akrietz@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.