Evan McMullin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evan McMullin
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McMullin in 2019
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| Born |
David Evan McMullin
April 2, 1976 Provo, Utah, U.S.
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| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
| Political party | Republican (before 2016) Independent (2016–present) |
| Spouse(s) |
Emily Norton
(m. 2021) |
David Evan McMullin (born April 2, 1976) is an American politician. He used to be an officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). McMullin ran as an independent candidate for president in 2016. He also ran for the U.S. Senate in Utah in 2022.
McMullin worked for the CIA from 2001 to 2010. He was an operations officer, which means he worked secretly to gather information. In 2011, he earned a business degree (MBA) and then worked in finance for a short time. From 2013 to 2016, he worked for the U.S. House of Representatives. He advised on national security and helped shape policies for Republican lawmakers.
In 2016, McMullin left the Republican Party. This happened after Donald Trump became the likely presidential candidate for the party. McMullin then decided to run for president himself as an independent. He had support from some Republicans who did not want Trump to be president. In his home state of Utah, he did very well. He got 21.5% of the votes there, coming in third place. Across the country, he received 0.5% of the total votes.
After the 2016 election, McMullin often spoke out against the Trump administration. He supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. He also helped create a political statement called "A Call for American Renewal" in 2021. In 2022, McMullin ran for the U.S. Senate in Utah as an independent. The Utah Democratic Party supported him. He lost to the Republican senator Mike Lee, but it was a close election for Utah.
Early Life and Education
Evan McMullin was born in Provo, Utah. He is the oldest of four children. When he was young, his family moved to a small town near Seattle, Washington. His father worked with computers, and his mother sold food from their garage.
After finishing high school in 1994, McMullin spent two years in Brazil. He was a Mormon missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he came back, he worked on a fishing boat in Alaska for a summer.
In 1997, McMullin started college at Brigham Young University (BYU). Every summer during college, he interned with the CIA. He also lived in Israel and Jordan for a year. He volunteered to help refugees for the United Nations. In 2001, he graduated with a degree in international law and diplomacy. Then, he began his training to become a CIA officer. After working for the CIA, he went to the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his business degree (MBA) there in 2011.
Career
Working for the CIA
Soon after McMullin joined the CIA, the September 11 attacks happened. This meant his training was sped up, and he was sent to work quickly. For the next ten years, he worked overseas. He focused on fighting terrorism and gathering intelligence. He worked in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. He started his first mission in 2003 and left the CIA in 2010. He worked in a country in Southwest Asia that was important for the War on Terror.
The details of his missions are secret. However, other former CIA officers who worked with him praised his work. They said he was good at getting people from extremist groups to trust him. He was also willing to gather information directly from people. His old supervisor said that the CIA's goals then included getting information about the Taliban. They also wanted to find information for anti-terrorism attacks. They were also looking for information about Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. Near the end of his time at the CIA, he worked secretly in Iraq. McMullin said he met with business and government leaders. He also collected information from people involved with terrorism.
Working in Business and Congress
After leaving the CIA, McMullin earned his MBA in 2011. Then, he worked for a big investment bank called Goldman Sachs for about a year and a half. In 2012, he volunteered for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. This led to him being hired by Republicans in Congress. They needed an adviser with experience in fighting terrorism. In 2013, McMullin became a senior adviser on national security. He worked for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In 2015, McMullin became the chief policy director for the House Republican Conference. This group helps Republican members of the House of Representatives. From this job, he watched the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. He started to speak out against Donald Trump. Some Republicans told him to stay quiet. McMullin quit his job shortly before he announced his run for president in August 2016.
Political Activity
2016 Presidential Campaign
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On ballot Write-in
No ballot access
On August 8, 2016, McMullin announced he would run for President of the United States. He ran as an independent candidate. He had tried to convince other members of Congress to run. When no one else would, he decided to run himself.
McMullin ran as a conservative alternative to Donald Trump. He had support from some Republican donors who were against Trump. His campaign was also backed by a group called Better for America. This group wanted an independent candidate to be on the ballot across the country. McMullin's campaign was supported by some people in the "Never Trump" movement.
In September 2016, McMullin said Trump was a "true threat to our national security." He criticized Vladimir Putin and Russia for trying to help Trump. He said these actions hurt the U.S. and global economies. He also said they were bad for peace and safety. He criticized Russian efforts to cause arguments between different groups in Western Europe and North America. McMullin also criticized Republican lawmakers who supported Trump publicly. He said many were "afraid to speak out against" Trump. He believed anyone who supported Trump was not committed to the U.S. Constitution.
McMullin started his campaign late. This meant he missed deadlines to be on the ballot in many states. He was only on the ballot in eleven states. He could be a "write-in" candidate in many other states. He could not win enough Electoral College votes to become president. Instead, he hoped to stop the two main candidates from winning enough votes. If that happened, the House of Representatives would choose the new president.
On October 6, McMullin chose Mindy Finn as his running mate. She had worked for Twitter and for Republican groups. Because she was chosen after ballot deadlines, her name did not appear on any state ballots. Instead, a friend's name, Nathan Johnson, was listed as a placeholder.
McMullin became popular in Utah. This was partly because many Mormons in Utah did not like Trump. Experts thought McMullin had a small chance of winning Utah. If he had won Utah, it would have been the first time since 1968 that a candidate not from a major party won a state.
McMullin did best in Utah, his home state. He came in third place there. He received 21.5% of the votes. Donald Trump won with 45.5%, and Hillary Clinton got 27.5%. McMullin also came in third in Idaho with 6.7%. Across the country, he received 734,737 votes. After the election, McMullin said the fight would continue for a "new conservative movement." He said it might form a new political party.
After the 2016 Campaign
After the 2016 election, McMullin continued to criticize Trump and Putin. In December 2016, he wrote that Trump was a threat to American government. He said Trump's actions were like those of an "authoritarian." He believed Trump was hurting important democratic rules. These rules include peaceful debate and transitions of power.
In January 2017, McMullin and Mindy Finn started a group called Stand Up Republic. This group watches the government. It criticizes the Trump administration on issues related to democracy. The group focuses on defending democratic rules and the Constitution. McMullin said that "undermining truth is a typical authoritarian tactic." He also wrote that Trump's connections to Russia were dangerous for U.S. national security. He asked Congress to demand an independent investigation into Russia's actions in the 2016 election.
In 2020, McMullin supported Joe Biden for president. He wrote that Americans faced a choice between freedom and tyranny. He said he would put the country before his political party. He also talked with former Republican officials about starting a new political party. In May 2021, he helped release the statement "A Call for American Renewal."
2022 U.S. Senate Campaign
On October 5, 2021, McMullin announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in Utah. He ran as an independent to challenge Senator Mike Lee. He wrote that Utah needed leaders who unite people, not divide them. He said leaders should seek solutions and put the country first. He named "our unmooring from truth" as the biggest threat to America. He specifically criticized conspiracy theories, false information, and political division.
Two important Utah Democratic officials supported McMullin. In April 2022, the Utah Democratic Party decided to support McMullin. They chose not to have their own candidate for the Senate race. McMullin promised that if he won, he would not join either the Democratic or Republican group in the Senate. Utah's other U.S. Senator, Mitt Romney, did not take a side in the race. Most polls showed Senator Lee ahead, but the race was closer than usual for Utah. Utah is usually a very Republican state.
McMullin lost the election to Lee. Lee won with 53.2% of the votes, and McMullin got 42.8%. This was the best performance by a non-Republican candidate in Utah since 1976.
Political Ideas
McMullin has spoken out against strong political parties and extreme views. He believes these extremes do not represent Utah or the country. He has said that extremism is putting American government at risk. He has chosen to be an independent politician.
Money and Economy
McMullin supports free trade. He believes international trade helps the economy. He supported the NAFTA trade agreement from 1994.
McMullin supports lowering taxes for companies and individuals. He also supports lowering the tax on inherited money.
McMullin thinks there should be cuts to government programs like Social Security. He has suggested that richer people should get less from the program. He also thinks the age to receive benefits should be raised.
Environment
McMullin agrees with scientists that the climate is changing. He believes human actions are causing it. He said that if he were president, he would invest more in technologies. These technologies would help reduce carbon emissions.
Foreign Policy and National Security
McMullin has spoken about the Syrian Civil War. He wanted international action to stop the killing of innocent Syrians. He also wanted to help set up a way for Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad, to leave power. McMullin said the U.S. should have done more to support moderate Syrian groups. He also supported creating a no-fly zone over Syria. This would stop planes from bombing Syrian cities.
McMullin has strongly criticized the international nuclear agreement with Iran. He said the U.S. must enforce the deal. But he also believes in making sanctions on Iran stronger. This would force them to make more agreements. He also said that military action should be an option if Iran does not follow the deal.
McMullin told ABC News that Donald Trump's public comments were hurting U.S. efforts to fight terrorism. He said, "What he doesn't realize is that we actually depend on Muslims to do counterterrorism." Trump's comments about Muslims made them less willing to work with the U.S. This made it harder to fight ISIS. McMullin also criticized Trump's loyalty to Vladimir Putin. He accused Putin of trying to make European and North American countries unstable. He said Putin did this by causing arguments between different racial, ethnic, and religious groups.
In 2014, McMullin helped bring a Syrian military photographer named Caesar to speak to Congress. Caesar had secretly taken 55,000 photos showing abuses by the Syrian government. McMullin argued with State Department officials. He thought they were delaying the hearing. McMullin said the officials wanted the hearing to be secret.
Other U.S. Issues
During his 2016 campaign, McMullin said he would appoint judges to the Supreme Court who follow the original meaning of the Constitution. He wanted judges like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
On immigration, McMullin supports securing the border. However, he does not support sending large numbers of immigrants out of the country. He believes U.S. immigration policy should help the nation's economy. This means attracting talented people.
In 2016, McMullin supported a part of the Affordable Care Act. This part stops health insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with preexisting conditions. However, he also said, "we also need to do better than ObamaCare." McMullin also supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs.
Personal Life
McMullin is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In June 2021, McMullin married Emily Norton. He has five stepchildren from his wife's previous marriage. Her first husband died of brain cancer in 2016. The family lives in Highland, Utah.
See also
In Spanish: Evan McMullin para niños
