Flake Considers Independent Senate Run

[DonViejo]

Source: U.S. News & World Report




The Centrist Project plans to poll how the Trump critic and Arizona Republican would fare in a three-way race for his seat.

By David Catanese, Senior Politics Writer |Oct. 30, 2017, at 12:43 p.m.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona is considering running for his seat as an independent and has given his blessing to an outside organization to conduct polling to explore the possibility, a source familiar with his thinking tells U.S. News.

Flake announced last Tuesday he would not seek re-election to a second Senate term next year in light of his dire chances of winning a Republican primary and his frustration with the tenure of President Donald Trump. Polling showed him trailing his insurgent challenger, Kelli Ward, by double digits. But The Centrist Project, a group created to recruit independent candidates, has approached Flake about running outside the dominant two-party system, and he is open to the possibility.

The group is planning to poll Flake's chances as an independent in a three-way race this week.

While Flake is skeptical about the feasibility of an independent run, the source says, he's open to the idea if he's provided a viable path to victory. Since Flake's announcement last week, a segment of GOP and independent-leaning donors also have been encouraging the option

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/the-run/articles/2017-10-30/jeff-flake-considers-independent-senate-run-in-arizona

[Sneederbunk]

1. How about starting to act like an independent now.

[asiliveandbreathe]

2. Poll me, I'm in AZ, better yet...nope..Flake, too many votes with the trumphumpers..

Against the American people..cannot be trusted to do the most good for the most people..

[samnsara]

3. so will he and bernie be in the same party?

...or be a part of the same non party?

[David__77]

14. I don't think Flake would caucus with the Democrats and speak on their behalf like Sanders.

...

[cstanleytech]

22. Flake could call himself a member of the Shirley Temple party but he would

still be a repugnant Repugnant.

[Honeycombe8]

4. I don't see AZ going for a third party. Repubs usu vote party line. They do what they're told.nt

[Cryptoad]

5. Does that make him a Democrat????

[rurallib]

6. he'll still vote for the extremist right - so he'll actually be a Republican

but he might split the right side vote and help elect the Dem.

[genxlib]

7. I said this a month ago.

Everyone being primaried by Bannon should do it.

Lieberman did it to us.

[Bleacher Creature]

8. And split the GOP vote in two? Great idea!

I don't think AZ has enough sane Republicans to make it work, as compared to what Lisa Murkowski did a few years ago.

[frazzled]

18. Yeah, that was my first thought, too

Actually, my only thought. We know he could never win, under any party affiliation. But he would make a great spoiler.

[Coventina]

9. Flake is in no way a Centrist. He's an extreme right-wing Mormon.

Anti-choice
Anti-LGBTQ
Climate change denier
Pro-NRA

Let him quit, I won't miss him.

[efhmc]

11. But think how lovely it would be if he took repugs votes

away and helped to elect a Dem.

[IronLionZion]

15. Which is exactly why he should run as a spoiler for the right wing

also he claims to be libertarian, which helps spoil it for them since a lot of Arizona swings that way and he has name recognition with voters as the incumbent

This is one way a liberal Dem could take his seat

[MGKrebs]

10. He should. I respect his decision to not be part of the Party of Trump

but he should use a campaign to get that message out there. He will almost certainly lose, but he gets to shine a spotlight on the craziness that is going on.
He can still be a conservative, I don't care. But if you are going to fight Trumpism, fight it, don't just quit and cede the field.

[dbackjon]

13. Don't let his flowery words fool you

HE still is a trump rubberstamp.


And it shows how FUCKED up America is what a radical right-winger like Flake can be considered a Centerist.

[MGKrebs]

16. I don't think it's really about policy.

He seems to think Trump is crazy and if the GOP is going to go along with that then he is out. He might run against a Trumpian candidate and they will agree on 90% of the policy issues but there would be endless opportunities for him to point out the evil and crazy and dangerous things someone is accepting by aligning themselves with Il Duce Deuce.

I guess it depends on your point of view. Looking at it from the outside, do we want the GOP to continue down this insane road until they implode even though it is dangerous, or would we rather the real GOP get's its shit together and returns to an actual political party, albeit one with zero to offer working-class people.

[Pugster]

12. This would guarantee a Dem. win in AZ

Flake and Bannon's guy would split the vote enough to allow a liberal Democrat to cruise to victory.

[paleotn]

17. The reverse of what Maine has had to deal with

in the last 2 Gubernatorial cycles. Lets do it to them for a change.

[Vinca]

19. Sane GOP politicians need to do this to split the vote and keep the Trump nuts out.

They must put country over party.

[irisblue]

20. Pour money, lots & lots of it Jeffie.

The more you pay & try the better.

[0rganism]

21. fantastic, he probably peels off 5-10% from the GOP nominee

making it easier for Democrats to flip the seat.
not seeing a downside here. if i was polled on this topic before he officially announces candidacy, i'd tell them "solid Flake" -- want those numbers as high as possible so he goes through with it.