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Evan McMullin

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Not to be confused with Evan McMillan.

Evan McMullin
McMullin, wearing a microphone, in front of the red and white stripes of a U.S. flag
McMullin in October 2016
Personal details
Born
David Evan McMullin

(1976-04-02) April 2, 1976 (age 48)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (Before 2016)
Independent (2016–present)
Alma materBrigham Young University
University of Pennsylvania
WebsiteCampaign website

David Evan McMullin[1] (born April 2, 1976) is a former CIA operations officer and ran as an independent during the 2016 presidential election. McMullin served as a chief policy director for the House Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives and a senior adviser on national security issues for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He also worked briefly as an investment banker after graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

In August 2016, McMullin launched a presidential campaign in the 2016 election for President of the United States, as an independent candidate backed by the organization Better for America. McMullin describes himself as a conservative alternative to the two major political parties' candidates, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. McMullin lost the election; his best performance came in his native Utah, where he received about 20% of the vote and came in third place behind Trump and Clinton.[2] Since the election, McMullin has said he is starting a "new conservative movement" reaching out to "non-traditional conservative voters... who feel disaffected." It may, he says, form a new political party.[3]

Early life and education

McMullin was born in Provo, Utah, to David McMullin and Lanie Bullard, the oldest of four children. At a young age, his family moved to a rural area outside Seattle, Washington,[4] where his father worked as a computer scientist and his mother sold bulk foods to neighbors from the family's garage.[5][6] After graduating in 1994 from Auburn Senior High School[7] McMullin spent two years in Brazil as an LDS missionary.[4] Upon returning, he spent a summer working on an Alaskan fishing vessel.

He had been interested in the CIA since watching Three Days of the Condor as a child, and contacted a recruiter in high school whom he kept in touch with for the next several years. In 1997, McMullin began attending Brigham Young University, where he did a summer internship with the CIA every year he was in college.[8]

He also spent a year living in Israel and Jordan and volunteered as a refugee resettlement officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.[9] In 2001, McMullin graduated with a Bachelor's degree in International Law and Diplomacy and began formal training with the CIA to become an operative.[10]

After working for the CIA, McMullin attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Master of Business Administration degree in 2011.

Career

Soon after McMullin joined the CIA, the September 11 attacks occurred, leading to an accelerated training and deployment. He spent the next decade working overseas on counterterrorism and intelligence operations as an operations officer with the National Clandestine Service[11] in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.[9] He was first deployed in 2003 and left the agency in 2010.[8]

While the details of his missions remain classified, former CIA officers who worked with McMullin were complimentary of his work, noting his talent for recruiting members of extremist organizations through building trust, and willingness to engage in human intelligence outside the confines of the embassy. Some of his missions included information gathering for efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Near the end of his CIA career, he worked undercover in Iraq.[12] He has stated that his work involved meeting with business and government leaders, as well as collecting information from terrorist operatives.[8]

After leaving the CIA and graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011,[13] McMullin began working for the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs.[14] In 2012, he volunteered for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, which indirectly led to him being recruited by Republicans on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs looking for an adviser with counter-terrorism experience. In 2013, McMullin was an International Advisory Board member for the Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University.[15]

In 2013, McMullin became a senior adviser on national security issues for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for the 113th Congress.[16] In 2015, McMullin became the chief policy director of the House Republican Conference under Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).[17] It was from this position that he watched the 2016 Republican primaries, and when he began to speak out against Trump he was urged by some Republicans to stay out of the fray.[5] McMullin resigned as chief policy director shortly before declaring his run for the presidency in August 2016.[16]

McMullin is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[18]

Public speaking

In March 2016, McMullin spoke at a TEDx talk at London Business School. He criticized governments in the West and elsewhere for allowing genocides and other mass atrocities to continue to occur. He called for increased "political competition" through grassroots activism and social media to motivate leaders.

At a speech to the University of Pennsylvania alumni association in Washington, D.C., in May 2016, McMullin said that despite "tremendous" expenditure on anti-poverty programs "the poverty rate today, in America, is still about the same as it was in the mid 1960s," faulting the federal government in that regard. Instead of helping people out of poverty, McMullin argued that the government had created a safety net to "make poverty more tolerable".[19]

2016 presidential campaign

McMullin's campaign logo, with the name "EVAN MCMULLIN" in large blue letters on top, the number "2016" breaking a red horizontal line in the middle, and the name "MINDY FINN" in smaller blue letters on bottom
McMullin's campaign logo
Map of places where McMullin is on the ballot
Ballot access in the election
  On ballot
  Write-in
  Not on ballot
Main article: Evan McMullin presidential campaign, 2016
2016 U.S. presidential election
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Third parties
Related races
← 2012 2016 2020 →
McMullin campaigning for president in Provo.

On August 8, 2016, McMullin announced that he would run as a candidate for President of the United States in the 2016 presidential election as an independent.[20][21][22][23][24] McMullin decided to run due to his belief that Republican nominee Donald Trump was unfit for the office and his strong opposition to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's liberalism. He had personally lobbied several Congresspeople to run under the Better for America banner, but when none would run and it was suggested to him that he should run himself, he decided to do so.[8]

McMullin had the support of several anti-Trump Republican donors[21][25][26] and his presidential bid was also backed by several former members of Better for America, a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to getting nationwide ballot access for an independent candidate for President in the 2016 election.[9][27] McMullin's campaign is supported by some members of the "Never Trump" movement.[28]

McMullin's late entrance into the race caused him to miss several state ballot deadlines,[29] and ultimately he was only able to appear on the ballot in eleven states, with write-in eligibility in many other states.[30] As such he did not appear on enough ballots to win the necessary Electoral College majority of 270 electoral votes. Instead McMullin hoped to deny a majority of the electoral vote from either of the two major party candidates. In such a scenario, under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment, the House of Representatives would select the new president from the top-three electoral vote winners.[31]

The same day that McMullin launched his independent bid it was announced that Kahlil Byrd and Chris Ashby, Republican strategists with expertise in third-party ballot access, would form a super PAC called Stand Up America to support McMullin's campaign. Byrd is a former adviser for Better for America. The PAC would be used for TV and digital ads, live events, and grass-roots organizing, but would not sue for ballot access.[32]

On October 6, McMullin named Mindy Finn as his running mate.[33] Finn had previously worked for Twitter and as a digital strategist for the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.[33] Because Finn's selection came after the ballot paperwork deadlines, Finn did not appear on any of the state ballots. Instead McMullin's friend's name, Nathan Johnson, was submitted as a placeholder.[30]

McMullin's support surged in Utah in October after the release of a 2005 audio recording in which Donald Trump was heard bragging in lewd terms about making unwanted sexual advances on women.[34] On October 19, an Emerson College poll showed McMullin leading the race in Utah by 4 points over Donald Trump and 7 points over Hillary Clinton. McMullin's popularity in Utah – and Trump's unpopularity – appears owing to an unusual shift of Mormons away from the Republican candidate.[35] Had McMullin won Utah, it would have been the first time since 1968 that a non-major-party candidate won a state.[36] His strong polling in Utah led Benjamin Morris, writing for FiveThirtyEight, to call him the "third-most likely person to be the next president of the United States" as of October 13.[37]

Ultimately, McMullin came in third place in Utah, receiving 20.6% of the state's popular vote, behind both Donald Trump (who received 46.6% and the state's six electoral votes) and Hillary Clinton (who received 27.8%).[38] McMullin also took third in Idaho with 6.8%.[39] McMullin promised the "fight would continue" for conservative values despite his defeat.[40]

Political stances

Social issues

McMullin opposes abortion and identifies himself as pro-life.[41][42] McMullin supports overturning Roe v. Wade.[42] According to his campaign website, he opposes "a culture that subsidizes abortion on demand" and McMullin calls for action to reduce unintended pregnancies and promote adoption.[41]

On same-sex marriage, McMullin said in 2016 that he believes in the "traditional marriage between a man and a woman" but he "respects" the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (which found that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry) and thinks it is "time to move on" from the issue.[43] He also stated that he would not make appointments to the Supreme Court with the intent of overturning Obergefell.[43]

Economic issues

McMullin supports free trade,[44] pointing to the economic benefits of international trade.[42] He supports NAFTA and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership.[42]

McMullin supports the Republican House plan on tax reform.[44]

McMullin supports a reduction in the corporate income tax and individual income tax,[45] as well as the estate tax.[46]

McMullin favors cuts to entitlement programs such as Social Security, and has proposed means-testing the program and raising the retirement age.[45]

Science and the environment

McMullin accepts the scientific consensus on climate change, saying: "I do believe that the climate is changing, and I do believe that human activity is contributing to it. If I were president, I would increase investment in technologies that can help us limit and decrease our carbon emissions."[42]

Domestic issues

McMullin has said that if elected president, he would appoint originalist judges to the Supreme Court,[42] "in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas."[47]

On immigration, McMullin supports border security but not mass deportation.[44]

On health care, McMullin supports the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that blocks health insurance companies from denying coverage or discriminating against people with preexisting conditions. However, he also stated that "we also need to do better than ObamaCare."[48]

Foreign and national security policy

In an interview with former Libertarian presidential candidate Austin Petersen, McMullin said he admired foreign leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.[49]

On the Syrian Civil War, McMullin described himself as a "vocal advocate for international action that would stop Assad's slaughter of innocent Syrians, and eventually set the stage for a negotiated departure from the country."[50] McMullin also has said: "We should have done more to support the moderate Syrian opposition, and we still need to do that. They haven't received sufficient support or training, and we know how to do that very well."[50] McMullin supports imposing a no-fly zone over Syria "to stop the aerial bombardment of Syrian population centers."[50]

McMullin supports keeping the Guantanamo Bay detention camp open.[44]

McMullin has harshly criticized the international nuclear agreement with Iran. He stated: "We've got to certainly enforce the deal as it is, but I believe in strengthening sanctions on Iran to force them to make further concessions. I also believe in putting the military option clearly back on the table if Iran decides to not keep its end of the deal and if it ultimately decides to pursue nuclear weapons."[51]

McMullin told ABC News that he believed Donald Trump's public comments were frustrating U.S. counterterrorism efforts. "What he doesn't realize is that we actually depend on Muslims to do counterterrorism, to wage war against terrorists." Trump's remarks concerning Muslims "decreases their willingness to work with us, with other Muslims, and that impedes our ability to destroy ISIS."[52] McMullin also criticized Trump's "allegiance to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin" and accused Putin of engaging in a campaign to destabilize European and North American countries "through fomenting discord between different racial groups, different ethnic groups and different religious groups."[31]

In 2014, McMullin helped to bring Caesar, a defected Syrian military photographer who leaked 55,000 images depicting abuses by the regime (which formed the basis for the 2014 Syrian detainee report), to speak before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to The Christian Science Monitor. McMullin clashed with State Department officials he suspected were holding up the hearing. McMullin claimed that State Department officials wanted to have a closed hearing.[53]

McMullin opposes the use of torture and has criticized Trump's support for it.[54]

Personal life

McMullin is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is unmarried.[55]

References

  1. ^ "David Evan McMullin (Evan) – Congressional Staffer Salary Data". legistorm.com. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  2. ^ David Montero, In conservative Utah, Trump underperforms, but so does McMullin, Los Angeles Times (November 9, 2016).
  3. ^ Danica Lawrence, Evan McMullin talks future of conservative movement under Trump presidency, Fox 13 (November 9, 2016).
  4. ^ a b Hugh Hewitt Show (August 9, 2016). "Presidential Hopeful Evan McMullin – Full Interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show – 8/9/16" – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b Canham, Matt (October 26, 2016). "Who is Evan McMullin? An unorthodox presidential contender who has led an unusual life". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  6. ^ McMullin, Evan. "About Evan McMullin". Evan McMullin for President. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  7. ^ "About Evan McMullin". Evan McMullin for president. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d Ward, Jon (October 26, 2016). "Is Evan McMullin's presidential candidacy just a protest, or something bigger?". Yahoo News. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c "Former CIA Officer to Launch Independent Presidential Bid". ABC News. August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  10. ^ "BYU grad launches last-minute campaign for president". Deseret News. August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "Alumni Spotlight: Evan McMullin on the Past, Present, and Future of the Republican Party". Penn in Washington. 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Rogin, Josh (October 30, 2016). "Inside Evan McMullin's 10 years undercover in the CIA". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Wharton graduate announces independent presidential bid to oppose Trump". The Daily Pennsylvanian. August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  14. ^ "About Evan McMullin". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "Evan McMullin: International counselor extraordinaire" (PDF). Bridges: BYU Alumni Magazine. 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Walshe, Shushannah (August 8, 2016). "Former CIA Officer Evan McMullin Launches Independent Presidential Bid". ABC News. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  17. ^ Jeff Selsar (January 7, 2015). "John Boehner's revenge – McConnell gets rough reminder of Senate rules on first day – Scalise is still fundraising". Poltico. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Easley, Jonathan (August 8, 2016). "Five things to know about Evan McMullin". The Hill. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  19. ^ "Evan McMullin Talks Poverty, Foreign Affairs". The Statesman. February 15, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  20. ^ Haberman, Maggie (August 8, 2016). "Evan McMullin, Anti-Trump Republican, Is Said to Plan Independent Presidential Bid". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Coppins, McKay (August 8, 2016). "Anti-Trump Republican Launching Independent Presidential Bid". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  22. ^ "Joe Scarborough: Evan McMullin Will Launch Independent Presidential Bid". hinterlandgazette.com. Hinterland Gazette. August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  23. ^ "Anti-Trump Republican Evan McMullin to launch independent bid for presidency". Politico. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  24. ^ Twitter page ("Standing up to run for president because it’s never too late to do the right thing.") Retrieved August 8, 2016
  25. ^ "Evan McMullin: Independent candidate launches presidential bid". BBC News. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  26. ^ Alvarez, Priscilla. "Anti-Trump Republicans Take One More Shot at the White House". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  27. ^ "This year is different". Better For America. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Gambino, Sabrina Siddiqui Lauren; York, Amber Jamieson in New (August 8, 2016). "Republican Evan McMullin to launch presidential run against Trump" – via The Guardian.
  29. ^ Leonard, Randy; Kelly, Ryan (August 8, 2016). "McMullin Presidential Run an Uphill Battle, per State Filing Deadlines". Roll Call. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  30. ^ a b "How to Vote for Evan". Evan McMullin for president. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  31. ^ a b Jacobs, Ben (September 20, 2016). "Evan McMullin on his presidential bid: 'Someone needed to step up' to Trump". The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  32. ^ "New super PAC launching to support Evan McMullin independent White House bid". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ a b "Presidential Candidate Evan McMullin Picks Mindy Finn as Running Mate". ABC News. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  34. ^ "Trump's lurid tape just made Evan McMullin relevant". Politico. October 13, 2016.
  35. ^ Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (October 26, 2016). "Why Donald Trump could lose red Utah: Mormon America has found another candidate". Washington Post. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  36. ^ "Evan McMullin takes the lead in latest Utah presidential poll". Salt Lake Tribune. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  37. ^ Morris, Benjamin (October 13, 2016). "How Evan McMullin Could Win Utah And The Presidency". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  38. ^ "2016 Utah Presidential Election Results". Politico. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  39. ^ "Idaho Election Results 2016". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  40. ^ Katie England, Despite loss, McMullin and supporters look forward to continuing new, conservative movement. Provo Daily Herald, November 9, 2016.
  41. ^ a b "On the Issues: Life". Evan McMullin for President. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  42. ^ a b c d e f 5 Takeaways From Independent Presidential Candidate Evan McMullin, WBUR (October 17, 2016).
  43. ^ a b "Independent Presidential Candidate Evan McMullin on Same-Sex Marriage, CIA, Goldman Sachs". Bloomberg.com. August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  44. ^ a b c d Jennifer Rubin (August 18, 2016). "Interview with Evan McMullin, the center-right candidate". Washington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  45. ^ a b Dennis Romboy & Lisa Riley Roche, Presidential candidate Evan McMullin running to win, start new conservative movement, Deseret News (October 14, 2016).
  46. ^ Evan McMullin’s political views on estate tax, ISideWith: "Evan McMullin personally submitted this answer on September 6th, 2016."
  47. ^ Ben Jacobs, Evan McMullin on his presidential bid: 'Someone needed to step up' to Trump, The Guardian (September 20, 2016).
  48. ^ Byrnes, Jesse (August 18, 2016). "McMullin: Trump 'trying to tear the country apart'". The Hill. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  49. ^ Who Is Evan McMullin? Ft. Austin Petersen (October 6, 2016).
  50. ^ a b c S.E. Cupp, The conversation Evan McMullin wants to have, CNN (October 13, 2016).
  51. ^ Evan McMullin's response to Reuters' story regarding 'secret' exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal (press release), McMullin for President Committee, Inc. (September 1, 2016).
  52. ^ Stark, Liz (August 11, 2016). "Why Evan McMullin Says Donald Trump Is More Dangerous Than ISIS". ABC News. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  53. ^ Iaconangelo, David (August 27, 2016). "Why this independent candidate is hoping the center can hold". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  54. ^ Michael Walsh, Independent candidate Evan McMullin: Trump is tapping into America's 'darkest prejudices', Yahoo News (August 12, 2016).
  55. ^ Puliam Bailey, Sarah (October 26, 2016). "Why Donald Trump could lose red Utah: Mormon America has found another candidate". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
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