Can Rep. Justin Amash be effective as an independent?

On Independence Day, Rep. Justin Amash announced he would leave the Republican Party to run for reelection as an independent. In a Washington Post op-ed, the Michigan congressman decried the two-party system as an "existential threat" to American principles, saying "modern politics is trapped in a partisan death spiral." Amash has repeatedly argued that President Trump's conduct was grounds for impeachment, something no other prominent Republican has done. Amash's disavowal of the GOP raises the question of whether he's an outlier or a sign of wider discontent in the party.