Posted on 01/10/2017 4:34:33 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
Sen. Jeff Flake has vocally criticized his party’s freshly elected president, raised little money, and backed a moderate approach to an immigration overhaul.
In other words, the first-term senator from Arizona has all but begged a Donald Trump-like Republican to run against him. Now, his friends and allies fear that’s exactly what will happen — with no guarantee that the incumbent lawmaker will win.
To many GOP officials, no Republican senator is more vulnerable in a primary next year than Flake. The 54-year-old, according to one strategist who reviewed polling data last month, is less popular among likely GOP primary voters in Arizona than even John McCain, who for years has had a famously rocky relationship with his party’s base. The poll showed almost as many primary voters disliked Flake as liked him.
And although he has already drawn a challenger — former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who ran unsuccessfully against McCain last year — his supporters are more worried about another foe, state Treasurer Jeff DeWit.
DeWit was a strong Trump supporter, serving as chairman of his Arizona campaign before becoming his national campaign’s chief operating officer. And people close to Flake worry that DeWit could potentially exploit the senator’s adversarial history with Trump. Flake routinely criticized Trump’s conduct during the campaign, culminating in a tense showdown on Capitol Hill in July.
An incumbent senator has many advantages in a primary, including institutional support, name recognition and money. But none of those things might matter if the combative Trump — the leader of the Republican Party with an unrivaled bully pulpit — becomes personally involved in the race, a possibility that scares Flake allies above all else.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollcall.com ...
He was a Cheap Labor Express stooge in the House, Arizona should have known better, or they like traitors.
Please extrapolate. I don’t understand what his Mormonism has to do with a communist country.
Joe Heck lost his bid for the Senate in November.
As an Arizonan, I hope so.
BTW I will apologize for the other senator. We tried to primary him but no luck.
Flake needs to work on his resume. I will not be supporting his sorry McCain loving butt.
The same way they like Mexicans entering this country either legally or illegally.
Cheap labor means more money, and more money means more of that money goes to the church in SLC.
I know Kelli Ward has expressed an interest in running for that seat.
There are some things she needs to do before going for it, however.
No, he has the Mormon vote in the east valley locked up.
Let everyone know, you mess with TRUMP or give him a hard time , you'll get kicked out!
“Joe Heck lost his bid for the Senate in November.”
I misspoke, it’s Dean Heller. Sorry about that, but he still needs to go too.
I’m supporting Kelly Ward...Signs, Money, whatever I have to do. Nobody deserves to be run out of town more than Flake
You are right, Heller voted for Gang of Eight amnesty and should be removed from office
I’d vote for Joyce DeWitt over this execrable McQueeg jock sniffer.
Mine too. In fact, ANYBODY who runs against that jerk has it.
Being “most vulnerable” doesn’t mean he’s in danger of being primaried out.
“Jeff Flake’s behavior last year was lousy. If Jeff DeWit runs, he has my support.”
It was far worse than lousy, it was EVIL,and it is to this very day.
And to think, I remember all the way back in 2004 when Flake was touted as a primary challenger to McCain. He has disappointed mightily.
I won’t go as far in condemning him as some but yeah, he’s unfortunately lived up to his name a bit.
DeWit (yes, only 1 “t”) I guess does not like his current job and has already said he’s not running for a 2nd term as Treasurer. Amazingly he was not opposed in the 2014 general election, rare for a non-incumbent for any statewide office in any state.
DeWit reportedly sided with democrats on state education funding, that doesn’t sound good.
McCain got over 50% of the primary vote but not by much, we almost had a situation where he was renominated because his opposition was divided. I hope DeWit and Ward don’t both run.
Art “Pappy” Lewis
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