Former Rep. Peter Meijer ends his longshot bid for the GOP nomination in Michigan's Senate race

Former Rep. Peter Meijer has withdrawn his sanction from a U.S. Senate contention successful Michigan

LANSING, Mich. -- Former Rep. Peter Meijer withdrew his sanction from the U.S. Senate contention successful Michigan connected Friday, ending a longshot bid to go the Republican nominee and instrumentality to Congress aft being ousted by voters for supporting an effort to impeach then-President Donald Trump.

Meijer announced his candidacy successful November and contended for the Republican information against erstwhile U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers and Justin Amash, successful summation to affluent businessman Sandy Pensler.

Meijer met an April 23 deadline to crook successful petition signatures to get his sanction connected the ballot for the August superior but withdrew from the contention connected Friday, a Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press. Meijer's sanction volition not beryllium connected the ballot since helium met a 4 p.m. deadline Friday to retreat from the race.

“The hard world is the fundamentals of the contention person changed importantly since we launched this campaign. After prayerful consideration, contiguous I withdrew my sanction from the superior ballot,” Meijer said successful a statement.

Although galore believed that Meijer had the imaginable to beryllium competitory successful a wide election, his ballot to impeach Trump undermined his bid to beryllium competitory successful a superior successful a authorities that supported Trump successful 2016. Trump has endorsed Rogers successful the race.

Meijer, who is from Grand Rapids, is an heir to a Midwestern market store empire and a erstwhile U.S. Army Reserve serviceman who served successful Iraq. He was seen arsenic portion of the adjacent procreation of Republican leaders erstwhile helium was elected to the U.S. House successful 2020 astatine lone 32 years old.

Meijer was among 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump successful 2021 pursuing the deadly mob siege of the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021. He past would suffer reelection to a Trump-backed superior hostile successful 2022 contempt having a important fundraising advantage.