Newest Presidential Candidate McMullin Says Trump Can’t Compete With Clinton
A new name has formally launched his bid for the presidency. Former CIA Operations Officer Evan McMullin is running as an independent. He says not only is Donald Trump a more dangerous threat to our national security than ISIS, he is also sending votes to Hillary.
“Donald Trump is ensuring that Hillary Clinton wins this election and for conservatives especially, they should be concerned because he cannot compete with her. And every day he puts his foot right back into his mouth and I don't think that's going to change. He's down for the count. He's not coming back,†said McMullin during an interview on FOX Business Network’s After the Bell.
In a presidential year that features two of the most polarized major-party nominees - Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton – voters may be eyeing for a third or even fourth option for the White House.
McMullin said he entered the race this late in the game because he had expected by now to see an independent challenger.
“I wish someone had gone much earlier. I had hoped, like many Americans, that we would see an independent candidate run to challenge both of these terrible candidates from the Republican and the Democratic side. But over several months it became clear it wasn't going to happen,†McMullin told host Melissa Francis.
With other candidates like the Green Party's Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson already vying for the Oval Office, it seems like a long-shot for an independent candidate to get onto the ballot at this stage of the race.
“There's actually a large misunderstanding about the process. There are a number of states that you can get on and ballots you can get on through petitioning. In addition to that, it's possible to work through other minor parties which we're doing. Then there are also other legal challenges that are available to us, as well," McMullin said.
On Thursday, McMullin received his first state ballot and will appear on Colorado’s in November. The Rocky Mountain state requires independent presidential candidates to submit a petition of 5,000 signatures and pay a $1,000 filing fee to get on its ballot.
Critics have suggested McMullin entered the race in order to help Clinton, but he rejects the notion and says Trump had already been losing in the polls before he decided to run for president.
As for being qualified, McMullin says his years at the CIA and in the private sector gives him the experience needed to both fight ISIS and create reforms that puts the interests of the American people first.
“I spent 10 years in the CIA fighting terrorism. I'm the only candidate who knows anything about how to destroy ISIS. I spent time in private sector, as well. I know what companies need to excel. We need to get the government out of the way so they can hire people and improve lives that way,†he said.
McMullin is also a former Chief Policy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives and worked for Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) on Wall Street.