LOS ANGELES (AP) – A conservative Republican who is running to unseat Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said Monday she has met with White House officials about the campaign.
The June meeting in Washington points to uneasy ties between President Donald Trump and Flake, a Republican who was an outspoken critic of the billionaire businessman in last year’s presidential contest.
“I was encouraged,” Kelli Ward said of the meeting, but she wouldn’t divulge details of what was discussed or who attended the sit-down.
The former state senator, who sought to unseat Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain in 2016, called Flake ineffective and a drag on the Trump agenda in the Senate.
Ward acknowledged that ousting an incumbent is difficult but pointed to Trump’s surprise win in 2016 and added, “times have changed.”