Vulnerable Arizona Republican Jeff Flake faces $300,000 threat from billionaire Trump donor

Jeff Flake.
(Image credit: Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) has made an enemy out of President Trump, and Trump's wealthy backers are returning fire. Billionaire Robert Mercer, who helped fund Trump's journey to the White House, has now contributed $300,000 to a super PAC backing Kelli Ward, a former Republican senator who is challenging Flake in the Arizona primary, Politico reports.

Flake is one of the most vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in 2018, and one who has made a name for himself recently by publicly opposing Trump. In addition to refusing to endorse Trump in 2016 (Trump at one point threatened to spend $10 million of his own money to see Flake fall in 2018), Flake wrote in his new book that the president's conduct "would have had conservatives up in arms had it been exhibited by our political opponents."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.