SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 19, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A few short months ago, Utah-born Evan McMullin lived a life of relative anonymity, known inside the beltway as a respected policy wonk and a national security adviser to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Chief Policy Director of the 2015 House Republican Conference.
Now, the former CIA operative — a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business — is front and center in the American political arena, riding the spear of a highly unlikely independent presidential bid which is suddenly poised to have a profound impact on the 2016 election.
A new poll released Wednesday by Emerson College shows just how formidable McMullin’s candidacy has become. With fewer than three weeks remaining before Election Day, 31 percent of Utah voters say they support McMullin, while 27 percent say they support Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton garners 24 percent of the vote. The poll has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
Should McMullin prevail Nov. 8, it will be first time since 1964 that Utah has failed to vote for the GOP’s top candidate. Such an outcome could spell disaster for the struggling Trump campaign, robbing the Republican candidate of six electoral votes he’ll desperately need if he’s to claim the presidency.
Wednesday, McMullin sat down with Gephardt Daily for a one-on-one interview. He talked about his surprising candidacy, his vision for America, and the prospect of a presidential run in 2020.
To see the interview in its entirety, click on the video player above.
