McMullin, who announced his conservative protest bid in August, has nearly pulled even with Trump in his home state of Utah. His appeal is based largely on the fact that he is not Donald Trump; instead, he is a genuine religious conservative. He’s therefore been upheld as an acceptably sane alternative to Trump by #NeverTrumpers on the hunt for a savior.
This is a mistake. McMullin certainly produces sane soundbites, but he, like Trump, represents the extreme fringe of the GOP.
He is stridently anti-abortion and wants to repeal Obamacare. His platform is broadly anti-public education; he promotes charter schools and school vouchers, and reserves a special shout-out for homeschooling. He also supports a sort of soft privatization of the Veterans Health Administration (something the majority of veterans still oppose):
While I was advising the House GOP Conference, I helped draft a bill that would allow veterans to choose where to get their health care.
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 22, 2016
McMullin also boasts some truly fascinating opinions about federal ownership of western land:
There is no good reason for the federal government to hold so much western land. It's time to return much of it to the states & the people. pic.twitter.com/DTWbZHKt58
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) October 22, 2016
Because this election really needed The Ammon Bundy Candidate.
McMullin, of course, is not going to become president. He might not even win Utah. Even so, #NeverTrumpers should rethink their support for McMullin. Normalizing the party’s fringe is precisely what got them into their current predicament.