I agree with you, he mainly dropped from the race because it was no longer an effective avenue to advance his ideas.
I do have to contest the first part of your statement - it's wishful thinking to see him having won this race. You're correct that he enjoys a broad base of bipartisan support, but the combination of turning on Trump, leaving the Republican party, and having a well-recognized opponent imperiled his chances in that district. He would have had to snag approximately 25% of the Democratic vote and 45% of the Republican vote to achieve that feat.
Fair enough. I definitely think he had a real shot, perhaps not the favorite but definitely a strong contender. He's been a name in his region for so long that I don't think recognition would be a huge problem (even before he went to congress he was in the Michigan house) and the fundraising numbers I shared just don't make sense if he truly had no chance. But impossible to say what would have happened, so I guess we'll have to wait and see when he does decide to run for something else.
I do have to contest the first part of your statement - it's wishful thinking to see him having won this race. You're correct that he enjoys a broad base of bipartisan support, but the combination of turning on Trump, leaving the Republican party, and having a well-recognized opponent imperiled his chances in that district. He would have had to snag approximately 25% of the Democratic vote and 45% of the Republican vote to achieve that feat.