Evan McMullin, the newly announced third party conservative candidate, said Tuesday he has an opening in the key state of Utah where voters are “highly dissatisfied” with the candidates.
McMullin, a Mormon and Brigham Young grad whose campaign headquarters will be in Utah, is banking on anti-Trump sentiment there and elsewhere to propel his long-shot candidacy.
“There are a lot of people there (in Utah) who are highly dissatisfied with the options they have in this election, like Americans elsewhere,” said McMullin, who also worked for the CIA, Goldman Sachs and most recently served as a top House Republican aide. “That’s not just a Utah thing. That’s an American thing.”
Donald Trump was thrashed in the Utah primary in March, losing big to Cruz and coming in behind Kasich. The billionaire businessman won only 14% of the vote in the state.
Utah is generally a reliably red state, but McMullin could deprive Trump of the state’s six electoral votes if his campaign takes off there.
CNN recently changed its rating for Utah from “solid Republican” to “leaning Republican.”
Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP candidate with strong Utah ties, has campaigned heavily against Trump this year.
