Former Sen. Jeff FlakeJeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeGOP lawmakers stick to Trump amid new criticism Kelly holds double-digit lead over McSally in Arizona: poll Trump asserts his power over Republicans MORE (R-Ariz.) said Thursday that he would rather see a Democrat win in 2020 than have President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE elected to a second term.
Flake made his comments at a debate in New York hosted by the nonprofit Intelligence Squared. Flake and New York Times columnist Bret Stephens argued that the GOP should not renominate Trump, while Liz Peek and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach backed the president.
Moderator John Donvan asked Flake if he would rather see Trump lose if he is the party’s standard-bearer in 2020.
“Are you willing to lose a cycle for the Republican Party because of the principles that you’re arguing?” Donvan asked.
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“Oh yes, yes,” Flake responded, citing Trump’s policies on issues such as immigration. Flake said that while those policies were supported by the president’s base, they hurt the Republican Party over the long run.
“It can galvanize people for a while, maybe for a cycle or two. But in the end, it turns people off. It turns off minorities. It turns off women,” said Flake, noting that anti-immigration policies such as those pushed by former Gov. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) hurt the GOP in The Golden State.
Flake was asked what the GOP should do if Trump remains the nominee.
“You sacrifice a generation, and you think, ‘Man, we might get some policy goals in the next year or two,'” Flake said. But he hoped the party took a longer view.
“Look at the long term. Look at the long term, at what you’re doing for the party, because people don’t want to be associated with it,” he added.
The former Arizona senator also said arguments claiming Trump is the only electable Republican candidate in 2020 are flawed.
“We would certainly like it to be a Republican. And this notion — this narrative that’s been built up that Donald Trump is the only one that can cobble together the Electoral College and win is just a fallacy,” Flake said.
A vocal Trump critic, Flake did not seek reelection in 2018 and retired from the Senate. He announced in January that he would not seek the GOP nomination for president in 2020 and signed on with CBS News as a political contributor.
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