Sen. Jeff Flake has words of encouragement for possible opponent who received anti-Muslim messages

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is standing up for the woman who wants to take his job.

Deedra Abboud, who was born in Little Rock and is an attorney, independent-turned-Democrat, and Muslim, hopes to unseat Flake when he is up for re-election. On Tuesday morning, she posted on her campaign Facebook page an innocuous message about how the founding fathers "set out to forge their own futures, determine their own destinies, and follow their own faith." While she received some positive comments, there were several slur-filled messages that attacked her and her religion, with one person telling Abboud there is "no room for Muslims in our government" and another saying her "first love is Satan."

Laurie Roberts of the Arizona Republic wrote a short column about the post and the abusive responses Abboud received, and Flake shared a link to the article on Twitter, along with some words of support. "Hang in there, @deedra2018," he said. "Sorry you have to put up with this. Lots of wonderful people across AZ. You'll find them."

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Flake is also facing a campaign by President Trump to unseat him in the GOP primary.