Three men and a maybe: Can ex-foes Trump and McCain, Flake get along?

Regional News

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Of the 20 states with two Republican senators, only one state had both of those senators publicly declare they would not vote for their party’s presidential nominee this year – Arizona.

But political experts said the state should not worry about retribution from President-elect Donald Trump for the well-publicized squabbling between him and Arizona Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain. They need each other if they hope to get anything done, even in a GOP-dominated Washington.

“After an election, a politician will need to moderate their message because they do need to be able to govern, and governing is different than campaigning,” said Lori Poloni-Staudinger, chair of Northern Arizona University’s School of Politics and International Affairs.

He is going to need them, and he is going to need their support,” Poloni-Staudinger said of Trump’s future relations with Congress.

That was echoed by Richard Herrera, associate professor at Arizona State University’s School of Politics and Global Studies, who said the president-elect will mostly likely work with Congress. Americans have seen his “willingness to say something harsh, but also willingness to back off,” Herrera said.

That willingness to mend fences has already been seen in Trump’s meetings during the transition process with a parade of former adversaries.