Seemingly safe GOP incumbents under attack from right wing

(AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford would seem to have all the conservative credentials he’d need to coast to reelection in deep-red Oklahoma.

But the devout Baptist and former director of the nation’s largest Christian youth camp finds himself under fierce attack by a challenger in his own party.

Similar scenes are playing out in campaigns in other red states including Texas, Arkansas and Idaho, where ultra right-wing challengers are tapping into anger among Republicans over Trump’s election loss and coronavirus-related lockdowns.

Some incumbents suddenly are scrambling to defend their right flank, heating up their rhetoric on social media and ripping into President Joe Biden at every opportunity.