The Michigan congressman, only 32, sees himself as a leader of “the second generation” of Paulites in the lower chamber. Sen. Rand Paul moved quickly to present himself as his dad’s heir to libertarian faithful in recent months, but many in the movement see Amash as even purer than the younger Paul, and he’s gotten rave reviews for explaining all his votes on Facebook.

Now, with the opening of a Senate seat in Michigan, Amash must decide whether to pursue his dream of one day winning a spot in House leadership or to take a chance at winning statewide — and risk losing it all.

Part of his calculus is that the Senate already has Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.