Evan McMullin is the third party candidate who may end up having the biggest night come election day in just over a week.
The former CIA operative and senior advisor on national security issues for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has been polling extremely well in Utah, to the point where some have him neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. At this point you’d have to figure he has a decent chance to take Utah and become the only third party candidate running for president to actually win the electoral votes from one particular state this cycle.
Because of his success Trump has taken aim at McMullin calling him a “puppet” of Bill Kristol:
You saw this coming. Trump and Pence finally go after @Evan_McMullin. Trump calls him @BillKristol's puppet. pic.twitter.com/GKExwfDXZK
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) October 30, 2016
McMullin didn’t hold back, he unleashed a social media attack on the GOP candidate:
.@realDonaldTrump, Yes you’ve never heard of me because while you were harassing women at beauty pageants, I was fighting terrorists abroad. https://t.co/hNDTWn3HPN
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 30, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump, you're an authoritarian, life-long liberal who disrespects life, liberty, & equality. We can't trust you on justices.
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 30, 2016
.@realdonaldtrump, you think you're entitled to Utahns' and other Americans' votes. We’re earning them.
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 30, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump, we will not sit by while two corrupt, self-serving, big government liberals like you and Clinton destroy our country.
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 30, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump, it's time for a new conservative movement & generation of leadership. We are building it. #McMullinFinn
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 30, 2016
Being a Mormon, McMullin already has one-up on Trump, not to mention he’s a lifelong conservative unlike Trump who all of a sudden switched sides within the past several years.
Bottom line, unlike Hillary Clinton Trump needs Utah. Based on the amount of toss-ups in other traditionally Republican strongholds like Georgia and Arizona, Trump simply cannot afford to lose the electoral votes out West.
Meanwhile, McMullin not only may have the biggest night on November 8th for a third party candidate, he may also be the smartest independent heading into the final week of the election. Unlike he third party counterparts, McMullin has obviously been pretty successful running a regional campaign and capitalizing off the flubs of two highly unlikable candidates in Trump and Clinton.