Trump loses another former Republican senator who defects to Harris

Former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake is campaigning for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

The Republican, who has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, announced Sunday that he will not run on a third party ticket in this election. Instead, he votes for the Democrats.

“I am a conservative Republican who has had the honor of serving my home state of Arizona in the United States House of Representatives and Senate for nearly two decades,” Flake said in a statement.

“I believe in our constitutional system and the rule of law and want to support a candidate who respects the will of voters and would never attempt to use presidential powers to overturn an election after being expelled from parliamentary voters,” he said. “Finally, I want to support a presidential candidate who wants to unite our country, not one who divides us; someone who represents the ideals of a new generation of leaders based not on the grievances of the past but on hope for the future.”

Flake served in the U.S. Senate for Arizona from 2013 to 2019 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.

He retired from the Senate at the end of his term in 2019, saying he was out of step with the Republican Party in the Trump era. He later wrote a book called “Conscience of a Conservative,” which was a criticism of Trump.

In 2021, Joe Biden appointed Flake as US Ambassador to Turkey. Flake endorsed Biden in 2020.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.