Sen. Jeff Flake learned that picking a political fight with President Donald Trump comes with consequences, as the Arizona Republican finds himself in a tough re-election battle with Trump prepared to support anyone opposing Flake in a primary.
Flake is "perhaps the most endangered Senate Republican, with an approval rating in one recent poll of just 18 percent among Arizonans," The New York Times reported Monday.
Flake, widely viewed as a mild-mannered conservative, has opposed Trump since the flashy New York billionaire and reality-show host announced his candidacy in 2015.
In his book, "The Conscience of a Conservative," Flake compared Trump's presidential campaign to a "late-night infomerical."
"In the tweeting life of our president, strategy is difficult to detect. Influencing the news cycles seems to be the principal goal; achieving short-term tactical advantage, you bet. But ultimately, it's all noise and no signal," Flake wrote.
Trump has retaliated by meeting with Kelli Ward, a doctor and former Arizona state senator who is running against Flake in a GOP primary.
Trump has not endorsed Ward because other Arizona Republicans are still considering entering a primary against Flake.
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