Flake in 2020? GOP senators doubt he'll go far
by Al Weaver
| October 02, 2018 12:00 AM
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., won rave reviews in the press last week by delaying President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, and followed that up with a Monday visit to New Hampshire, stoking speculation that he could be setting up a run against Trump.
But many in his own party say they doubt he'll get far.
"Maybe it's trying to see if there's life after [the Senate], but I don't understand it," said one Republican senator who asked to remain unidentified. "Anytime people go to those places, it makes you wonder ... I just don't see it."
Another GOP senator wondered why and how Flake could take the plunge if he wasn't even willing to do so for re-election in Arizona — Flake dropped out after most polls said he didn't have a chance. That's raising real doubts among Republicans about how Flake could mount a national challenge to Trump, who is enjoying rock-solid popularity among Republican voters after nearly two years in office.
Flake won praise mostly from Democrats after he warned his GOP colleagues that he wouldn't support Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until a more thorough FBI investigation was completed on the nominee's alleged sexual assaults against women. Flake said he wanted a pause because the country was being "ripped apart" by the fight over Kavanaugh.
Just days later, Flake arrived in New Hampshire to deliver a 25-minute address at Saint Anselm College to criticize the polarization of politics that touched on his game-changing move last week.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/flake-in-2020-gop-senators-doubt-hell-go-far