Never Trumper Jeff Flake Lists Democrat Candidates He Would Support over Trump

Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake would consider voting for certain 2020 Democrat candidates in a match-up against President Donald Trump, he told the Deseret News Tuesday.

The vocal anti-Trump critic told the outlet in an interview posted Tuesday that he would prefer that a fellow Republican launch a successful primary bid against President Trump – a very unlikely scenario – but suggested that there are a few Democrats in the field that he would consider voting for in the event that they win the party’s nomination.

“You mentioned you were watching the Democratic presidential debates on television. President Trump is most likely the Republican nominee. Is there anyone in the Democratic field you would vote for?” the Deseret News asked the former senator.

While Flake said that he is “more conservative than any of the Democrats running for office” and would prefer for the Republican Party to nominate someone other than Trump, he admitted that it is unlikely and laid out other options, such as voting for a third-party candidate or voting for a Democrat.

“You can always vote for a third-party candidate, which I did last time, and I’m not ruling that out. I don’t think we’re there yet, when independents will win nationwide,” Flake conceded.

“So, I would like to vote for a responsible Democrat,” Flake said, naming Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and former vice president Joe Biden (D), specifically.

“I’ve worked closely with Michael Bennet. He’s a thoughtful, good man. Amy Klobuchar, I worked with her on a number of issues. Cory Booker has downplayed a lot of his bipartisanship. And Joe Biden,” he said, praising his plea for bipartisanship.

“It’s been nice to hear him say, ‘I can work with the other side.’ That’s not what primary voters want to hear. But it’s what the country needs to hear because it’s true,” Flake continued. “I wish we had a Republican candidate who would say the same.”

This is not the first time Flake has publicly teased support for a Democrat in 2020. The never-Trumper told a New York City audience in March that it would be better for a Democrat to defeat Trump in 2020.

“Yes… 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,” he said.