Utah Dems Endorse McMullin

 Our new book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics.  Among other things, it discusses state and congressional elections.   

Katie McKellar at The Deseret News:

The Utah Democratic Party made an extraordinary decision on Saturday.

A majority of delegates decided to not put forth a Democratic candidate to face off with Republican Sen. Mike Lee and to instead back independent candidate Evan McMullin.

The decision has big implications for Utah’s U.S. Senate race. It injects significant momentum into a more moderate, independent movement in Utah politics — and signals Utah Democrats are so eager to up the chances of beating Lee they’re willing to ditch their own candidate. At least for now.

During Saturday’s at times chaotic convention at Cottonwood High School in the Salt Lake County suburb of Murray, a faction of delegates put forth a motion to opt against choosing Kael Weston as the party’s Democratic U.S. Senate nominee and instead join McMullin’s coalition.

McMullin, a former Republican, ran an unsuccessful independent campaign for president against former President Donald Trump in 2016. Now he’s got Lee in his crosshairs.

“We know that Sen. Mike Lee was quite involved in the effort to overturn our democracy,” McMullin told reporters shortly after his victory was reflected in vote tallies, seizing another opportunity to blast Lee over his text messages to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows as he explored ideas on how to overturn the 2020 presidential election before ultimately deciding to vote to certify the electoral results on Jan. 6.

Stand Up Republic Ad

Josh Rogin reports at The Washington Post:

Stand Up Republic, a nonprofit organization led by former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin and his running mate, Mindy Finn, is launching a public campaign aimed at building support among Republicans for consolidating the various congressional Russia-related investigations into one empowered and fully funded select committee. The organization’s ad, which goes live Tuesday with a six-figure television ad buy, makes the case that the Russia issue is too important not to investigate fully.

A Day in Donald Trump's America

Ben Mathis Lilley reports at Slate:

It seemed almost inevitable that Donald Trump's presidential campaign would involve some sort of shocking public utterance of the word n-----. Wednesday morning it happened when Trump supporter (and convicted murderer) Don King was introducing Trump at an event at a church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio:

Compare the reactions of Gen. Flynn and the woman he’s sitting next to when Don King uses the n-word. pic.twitter.com/IKZ7edDU0S

— Philip Bump (@pbump) September 21, 2016

McKay Coppins reports at Buzzfeed: 

Evan McMullin’s presidential campaign has taken a racist tirade recently left in a staffer’s voicemail inbox and turned it into a political ad highlighting the dangers of “Donald Trump’s America.”

The ad, which will air online in select markets, features a recording of a personal cell phone message campaign spokeswoman Rina Shah received after appearing on Fox News last Friday.

“You frothing, libtard piece of shit Islamic dog,” the caller, identified only as “Alan,” is heard saying in the ad, while a transcript of his rant runs along the bottom of the screen. “Vote for the pathological lying criminal you fucking piece of shit … and get out of our country … while you’re at it, got back and get fucked by your dirtbag Islamic terror scum friends. Slut.”

The campaign’s ad concludes with a warning: “Alan is a preview of Donald Trump’s America. We can do better.”

 

McMullin and the Mormon Vote

CNN reports:

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," McMullin told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." "That's not just a Utah thing. That's an American thing."

He has worked for the CIA, Goldman Sachs and most recently served as a top House Republican aide.

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.

If he can make the petition deadline, he could also pull Mormon voters in Idaho and Arizona.