Flake challenger: Trump ‘is what the country wanted’

Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R-Ariz.) primary challenger praised President Trump’s agenda on Sunday, saying he has “lofty” goals that need to be accomplished. 

“I think President Trump and his leadership is what the country wanted — that’s why he’s in the White House — and I think he’s got lofty goals that we should accomplish that will put America first,” Kelli Ward told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

{mosads}Ward was responding to speculation that establishment Republicans could mount a 2020 primary challenge against the president, which Ward said “would be a big mistake for the establishment wing of the Republican Party to attempt.” 

Flake said last Thursday that Trump is “inviting” a 2020 challenger because he is paying too much attention to appealing to his base. 

Ward’s comments come after a report surfaced last week that Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) were considering a challenge to Trump in 2020. 

Hickenlooper later dismissed the report. 

Ward, a Republican state senator, is mounting a 2018 challenge to Flake, who is a vocal critic of Trump. 

The president has repeatedly praised Ward while targeting Flake.