Flake Says Many Voters 'May Be Looking For Something Else' In 2020
- 6 years ago
Senator Jeff Flake on Sunday said that many voters in 2020 "may be looking for something else."
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake made headlines in October for "a full-throated denunciation of [President] Trump" in his retirement speech from the Senate floor, reports Politico.
Now, in an ABC News' 'This Week' interview on Sunday, he addressed his own presidential ambitions, saying, "I don't rule anything out, but it's not in my plans."
The senator did acknowledge that in 2020 there may be a "huge swath of voters...looking for something else."
"I do worry that in the future we'll be faced with President Trump running for re-election on one side, drilling down hard on a diminishing base and on the other side, you might have somebody like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren on the far left of the Democratic Party," Flake told ABC's Jonathan Karl. "That leaves a huge swath of voters in the middle, that may be looking for something else."
In his Senate speech, while announcing that he won't seek re-election, Flake delivered a forceful criticism of Trump.
"We must never adjust to the present coarseness of our dialogue, with the tone set at the top. We must never accept the deadly sundering of our country. The personal attacks, threats against principles and freedoms and institutions, and flagrant disregard for decency," he told his fellow senators.
"Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused as 'telling it like it is' when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified," the senator added.
A day later, Trump responded with a tweet.
"The reason (Jeff) Flake and (Bob) Corker dropped out of the Senate race is very simple, they had zero chance of being elected," Trump tweeted. "Now act so hurt & wounded!"
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake made headlines in October for "a full-throated denunciation of [President] Trump" in his retirement speech from the Senate floor, reports Politico.
Now, in an ABC News' 'This Week' interview on Sunday, he addressed his own presidential ambitions, saying, "I don't rule anything out, but it's not in my plans."
The senator did acknowledge that in 2020 there may be a "huge swath of voters...looking for something else."
"I do worry that in the future we'll be faced with President Trump running for re-election on one side, drilling down hard on a diminishing base and on the other side, you might have somebody like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren on the far left of the Democratic Party," Flake told ABC's Jonathan Karl. "That leaves a huge swath of voters in the middle, that may be looking for something else."
In his Senate speech, while announcing that he won't seek re-election, Flake delivered a forceful criticism of Trump.
"We must never adjust to the present coarseness of our dialogue, with the tone set at the top. We must never accept the deadly sundering of our country. The personal attacks, threats against principles and freedoms and institutions, and flagrant disregard for decency," he told his fellow senators.
"Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused as 'telling it like it is' when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified," the senator added.
A day later, Trump responded with a tweet.
"The reason (Jeff) Flake and (Bob) Corker dropped out of the Senate race is very simple, they had zero chance of being elected," Trump tweeted. "Now act so hurt & wounded!"