Jeff Flake

Jeff Flake.

Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake announced his endorsement of Joe Biden for president on Monday. The Republican Flake said it will be the first time he has voted for a Democratic candidate for president.

Citing President Trump’s defiance of the intelligence community, his treatment of allies and a litany of other complaints, Flake said he could not be a part of re-electing a man who he said would further divide the country.

In a live-streamed address, Flake posed a question to fellow Republicans who believe in the power of conservative ideas: “Will we be in a better position to make the conservative case for governing after four more years of this administration?”

For Flake, the answer is a hard no. He said it was no longer enough to register disapproval of the president. Flake encouraged conservatives to vote for Biden, who he said will stop the chaos and reverse the damage to the country inflicted by Trump.