
As Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema formally prepares to challenge embattled GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, polls already show Flake losing to her — badly.

There is no question that Arizona Republican Jeff Flake is one of the most vulnerable senators, from either party, up for reelection in 2018.

And polls show that he is in massive trouble just as a promising Democratic challenger is stepping up.

Rep. Krysten Sinema, an Ironman triathlon winner who represents Arizona’s 9th Congressional District, has formally announced her campaign for Flake’s seat, after a few months of speculation that she was gearing up for a run, with a deeply personal video about her experience with homelessness and hunger as a child, and how that part of her life informs her political worldview now.


A new survey from HighGround Public Affairs shows Sinema beating Flake 41 to 33 — assuming Flake even makes it out of the Republican primary.

Other recent polls also show Flake is down 27 points against GOP challenger Kelli Ward, and Trump billionaire megadonor and big-data mogul Robert Mercer has spent $300,000 so far to help Ward beat him.

The problem for Flake is that absolutely nobody likes him. He has rubber-stamped the Trump agenda on the Senate floor. He repeatedly voted to strip healthcare from his own constituents and end Medicaid as we know it, incensing liberals and moderates, and signaled clearly that he would have voted for Graham-Cassidy even though he casually admitted he had not read it.

But on the flip side, Flake has also infuriated Trump’s base by publicly criticizing his maturity. By trying to have it both ways, Flake has wound up with zero friends.

Now Democrats have a real shot at flipping his seat, and polls show they are already eager to do so with Sinema.