Utah Independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin pushes back on 'Democrat' talk
Former presidential candidate and ex-CIA officer joins 'Special Report' to defend affiliation, slam Sen. Lee.
Utah independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin sought Monday to dispel claims he is a secret Democrat or that he will caucus with Democrats, amid a closer-than-expected race with incumbent Republican Sen. Michael Lee.
McMullin, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016 as a right-leaning anti-Trump candidate, told Fox News he will not caucus with the Democratic Party nor Republican Party in the Senate — adding that under Senate rules, he will still be afforded two committeeships, a key tool of an individual lawmaker's influence.
I would say that the Biden administration certainly has responsibility for the track we're on and for inflation and so many other problems that we're facing," McMullin said to critics claiming he is not sufficiently conservative.
"We elect leaders. We send them to Washington. They go to Washington. Then they start taking the money and party bosses and special interest groups, which is what my opponent, Mike Lee, has done. And they no longer represent us."
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Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, left, and his independent challenger Evan McMullin shake hands following their televised debate (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
In response to claims from Lee that he has raised millions in campaign contributions through the Democrats' ActBlue, McMullin denounced such accusations as "lies."
"We did raise about $2.5 million in the last quarter, but it came from people of all political backgrounds. And I am so proud of that," he said.
McMullin added too many politicians get elected and then become party "sycophants" when they go to Washington.
In that regard, he warned Americans to heed President Washington's warning that "the spirit of Party [can] weaken and threaten the American republic."
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Third party candidate Evan McMullin, an independent, talks to the press as he campaigns in Salt Lake City, Utah (REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo)
The candidate however has drawn his share of ire from other Republicans including Trump, who attributed him the nickname "Evan McMuffin" – a moniker recently co-opted by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has endorsed Lee and claimed McMullin's endorsement by the Utah Democratic Party adds to a "deceptive" quality to the race.
McMullin told "Special Report" it is not unfounded for independent candidates to win senatorial elections.
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Currently there are two Independent senators, Sens. Angus King Jr. of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. However both men caucus with the Democratic Party. Sanders often describes himself as a "democratic socialist," while King departed the Maine Democratic Party in 1993.