Tim Vandenack, Standard Examiner
Independent US Senate hopeful Evan McMullin gestures during a visit to the Standard-Examiner offices in Ogden on Oct. 24, 2022.
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories on US Senate hopefuls Mike Lee and Evan McMullin, the major contenders for the post this cycle. Both candidates met with the Standard-Examiner and Daily Herald to discuss their candidacy.
OGDEN — Evan McMullin is waging a bid for the US Senate as an independent to unseat two-term incumbent Mike Lee, a Republican.
RELATED: Independent Senate hopful McMullin: Utah ‘needs better representation’
McMullin visited the Standard-Examiner offices on Monday to discuss his campaign and here are his views on a range of topics:
Donald Trump: McMullin views Donald Trump critically and famously wagered an independent presidential bid in 2016 against him, a protest candidacy.
He said Trump strikes him as a wannabe dictator and maintains that Trump views the US Constitution with nonchalance, as “a speed bump for him in his pursuit of power.” McMullin’s critical views haven’t changed, he said.
Asked if he’d vote for Trump for president if he’s the GOP nominee in 2024 or for the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is, McMullin expressed a measure of distaste for the presidential hopefuls the two major parties have put forward.
“We need more unifying leaders who are committed to our ideals, who will not turn Americans against each other, who will govern with facts and reason. And I just urge both parties to offer better leadership,” McMullin said. He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential vote but now, he said, he doesn’t support the Democrat.
Inflation: To get a handle on rising consumer prices, he calls for incentives to encourage the “return of critical manufacturing” to the United States. That would serve as a hedge against the instability of other trading partners, which can lead to price hikes in the goods they produce and export to the United States.
He also touted boosting domestic oil production, though that, he went on, could have a limited impact in addressing rising fuel costs since prices are susceptible to international pressures.
Scaling back US government spending would also help, he said, pointing to spending brought on by US military efforts abroad. The United States should not have invaded Iraq, he said, and US forces spent too much time in Afghanistan “at troop force levels that were very costly.”
He derided government overspending by both the Trump and Biden administrations, singling out Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
Health care costs: He’s a big advocate of allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices in a bid to keep costs for consumers in check, a move critics worry could hamper research and development by driving prices too low. “It is ridiculous that we do not allow the American taxpayer to fully negotiate on prescription drugs as a part of a free and functioning market,” McMullin said.
He charged that too many US lawmakers block moves to check prices of prescription drugs, including Lee, and blasted what he said is the power of large pharmaceutical firms via their donations to elected officials. He also lambasted alleged efforts by pharmaceutical firms to inflate prices of their drugs by paying generic producers not to make their patent drugs and by tweaking insulin formulas in a bid to create new patents.
“We still believe in fair markets, don’t we, and in competition? We don’t have that when it comes to the pharmaceutical, to the prescription drug market,” McMullin said.
He also called for “standing up to special interest groups” in the health care sector to lower health care costs. He doesn’t favor the Medicare for All push.
Ukraine: He favors US efforts to aid Ukraine in fighting off Russian forces invading the nation.
“I believe it’s important that we support the Ukrainians’ fight for freedom. And the reason is that it’s the right thing to do. But just as importantly, if we don’t, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not stop in Ukraine,” he said. “He will destabilize all of Eastern Europe. And what’s stopping him from going further?”
There’s a financial cost, “but it will be far, far worse if we don’t stop them in Ukraine,” he said. He’s not so sure about supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles that can reach Russia, leery that could escalate the conflict.
abortion: He’s pro-life, has “always believed in the sanctity of life,” he said. “And I’m also committed to finding a more constructive way forward on the issue … (that) is tearing the country apart.”
He worries about “extremist legislation” that would, for instance, require a 10-year-old rape victim to carry a pregnancy to term. He also opposes talk of banning contraception.
Indeed, a key to avoiding abortion, he thinks, is making contraception more available as a guard against unwanted pregnancies. “It’s also doing more to support women, children and families, and it’s imparting the right values to our youth. That’s what lowers the abortion rate in America, and most Utahns and Americans can get behind that,” he said.
Immigration: Immigrants are “a tremendous source of strength” in the United States, he said. “They keep us vibrant and strong.”
He believes in protecting the US-Mexico border, but also sympathizes with “Dreamers,” younger immigrants illegally brought into the country by their parents. “This is the only home they know. I think the idea that we would send them back to a place… they don’t know, they may not even speak the language, is cruel. And I think we should give them a path to citizenship,” he said.
The situation is “more complicated” for other undocumented immigrants.
Broadly, he thinks it’s possible to protect the country’s border with Mexico “and remain a nation of laws without treating immigrants inhumanely,” even if the US government has had a tough time striking that balance thus far.
COVID-19 vaccines: He’s not for vaccine mandates, he said, asked about a recent decision by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisors that COVID-19 vaccines be added to the list of recommended vaccines that kids get.
“Look, I think it’s important to be vaccinated. I’ve been vaccinated, our kids are vaccinated. But I don’t think it’s the right move to force people to be vaccinated. I think it’s counterproductive,” McMullin said. “We should encourage everyone to be vaccinated unless they have a health concern for that. But government mandates for that, I think, are counterproductive.”
Infrastructure/energy: He favored the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law by Biden last November and meant to fund massive improvements and upgrades to roads, public transit, airports, internet access and more. Lee voted against the measure along with Utah’s four US representatives while Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah’s other US senator, voted for it.
“I’m committed to investing in infrastructure here in Utah and making sure we have the federal dollars to help us do that. Because whether it’s water or air quality, power generation, our population is growing very, very quickly, our economy’s growing very, very quickly. And we are going to have to make serious investments in infrastructure, and my opponent routinely votes against them,” McMullin said.
He favors further pursuing wind and solar energy as alternatives to fossil fuels. “I personally think it’s all of the above,” he said.
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