NE-2020: Is Ben Sasse vulnerable?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

He's been consistently anti-Trump since the campaign, didn't vote for him, and still criticizes him publicly.  Will Team Trump seek retribution and put him in any real danger?

[Cactus Jack]

If Trump is willing to make kamikaze attacks against Heller, the most vulnerable Republican running in 2018, just for the sake of his ego, he'll go after anyone.

[Mr. Smith]

Depends on how popular Trump is.

[RINO Tom]

No, I don't think so.

[RogueBeaver]

No, I don't think so.

[Chief Justice Keef]

I have no doubt he'll have a MAGA primary challenge but he'll come out of it relatively unscathed.

[Suburbia]

I have no doubt he'll have a MAGA primary challenge but he'll come out of it relatively unscathed.

[NewYorkExpress]

He may be vulnerable in a primary, but he's safe in the general.

[KingSweden]

I have no doubt he'll have a MAGA primary challenge but he'll come out of it relatively unscathed.

[Heisenberg]

Does he have potential vulnerablities? Yes, depending on how he acts, he could potentially go down.
Do I actually see it happening? Probably not.

[Xing]

He'll definitely get a primary challenge, but if Trump is unpopular, he'll be fine.

[JMT]

Potentially. Sasse is still the incumbent, so he'd be favored. But Trump may want to pour resources into getting him defeated. Sasse could get a serious primary challenger, and while I expect he'd win, he could very well lose.

[Skye]

Sasse's a super conservative in a super conservative state. So no.

[Vosem]

2016 suggested very strongly that this sort of action is punishable in the Deep South, but not anywhere else, not even in very Trumpy Appalachia. Too many Plains Republicans have flirted with anti-Trump sentiment for it to really hurt there, and it was a strongly Cruz area in the primary.

[Greedo punched first]

I don't think Sasse is vulnerable to losing the GOP primary. There will probably some token primary opposition, but Sasse will easily win.

[Maxwell]

Team Trump will respond to anyone who doesn't give them 1000% loyalty because that's the way they operate, but a primary challenge here will be about as successful as that dumb Paul Negan guy (I don't feel like googling that POS) who ran against Paul Ryan. Sasse has and will continue to vote 100% for all of President Trump's policy priorities and we know it for a fact. Sasse is a very able campaigner and I suspect, unfortunately, he's going to run for President someday.

[Young Conservative]

His approval rating is 55-26. I think Trump and his allies might try to oust him, but I seriously doubt they will be successful. Senator Sasse is generally just a likable guy.

https://morningconsult.com/senate-rankings-april-2017/

[Kingpoleon]

Pete Festersen or Brad Ashford: 45.6%
Ben Sasse: 36.9%
Chip Maxwell or Todd Ricketts: 14.4%
Others: 3.1%

I can definitely see a Trumpist managing to soak away Sasse's votes.

[Cynthia]

Pete Festersen or Brad Ashford: 45.6%
Ben Sasse: 36.9%
Chip Maxwell or Todd Ricketts: 14.4%
Others: 3.1%

I can definitely see a Trumpist managing to soak away Sasse's votes.

I can't really see a Dem taking 46% in NE.

[PragmaticPopulist]

Probably not. The plains brand of small-government Republicanism is mostly at odds with Trump's brand, which is best fitted for the Midwest, Deep South, and Appalachia. The plains are also doing pretty well economically.

[BlueDogDemocrat]

It will probably come down to how popular trump is. If trump has a high approval rating he might get a serious challenge in the primary. If trump is very unpopular I doubt anyone would challenge him. Either way he is safe in the general election.

[Kingpoleon]

Pete Festersen or Brad Ashford: 45.6%
Ben Sasse: 36.9%
Chip Maxwell or Todd Ricketts: 14.4%
Others: 3.1%

I can definitely see a Trumpist managing to soak away Sasse's votes.

I can't really see a Dem taking 46% in NE.

Nelson managed to get almost 20% more than that in 2006.

[Heisenberg]

Pete Festersen or Brad Ashford: 45.6%
Ben Sasse: 36.9%
Chip Maxwell or Todd Ricketts: 14.4%
Others: 3.1%

I can definitely see a Trumpist managing to soak away Sasse's votes.

I can't really see a Dem taking 46% in NE.

Nelson managed to get almost 20% more than that in 2006.

That was during a massive wave, and polarization was much weaker.

Pete Festersen or Brad Ashford: 41.6%
Ben Sasse: 36.9%
Chip Maxwell or Todd Ricketts: 18.4%
Others: 3.1%
That's what I think.