Flake stuns with fiery exit

The Hill: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) shocked his colleagues on Tuesday by announcing that he will not run for reelection, saying he can no longer be “complicit” in President Trump’s transformation of the Republican Party.

Flake was headed for a tough primary battle next year, with polls showing him down by double-digits to a primary challenger backed by former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

Facing a possible election loss, Flake, 54, joined Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) in heading for the exit. And like Corker, he used the occasion of his retirement to sound the alarm about where the GOP is headed — with much of the focus on the man in the Oval Office.

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