The 2016 elections aren't over, but Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake is already facing a primary challenge in 2018 from former state Sen. Kelli Ward.
Ward announced on her radio show "The Kelli Ward Connection" Wednesday that she will challenge the Arizona Republican, who has been a consistent critic of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
"I'm going to take on the establishment once again," Ward said. She also challenged Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the Senate primary, but McCain won handily in late August.
"Sen. Flake might be semi-well liked but he doesn't have the longevity of John McCain, he doesn't have the reach of John McCain, he doesn't have the war hero status of John McCain," Ward said. "And so I think that it's an excellent opportunity for us.
"I think that as Republicans we should be looking, because I'm sure there's going to be a strong Democrat contender who's coming up against, you know, running for that Senate seat," Ward said. "And so we need to have the strongest person possible to defeat that Democrat. And of course I think that person is Dr. Kelli Ward."
Ward encouraged listeners to send in hashtags supporting her race, and said she particularly liked "Flake the Snake."
Flake was first elected to the Senate in 2012, and served in the House from 2001 to 2013. He has been a leading Republican critic of Trump, particularly Trump's proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
After a 2005 video surfaced showing Trump bragging about groping and kissing women against their will, Flake called on Trump to step aside as the GOP nominee.
