Evan McMullin is the right candidate for this frightening moment in America’s history. Utah Democrats should field no Democratic candidate and give Evan McMullin a clear path to defeat Republican Sen. Mike Lee.
Our democracy is as unsteady as it has been in a long time. Partisanship is vicious, trust is vanishing, elected officials are afraid to compromise, and Lee is hammering away at the foundations of our Republic.
Lee is one of the most dangerous elected officials in the country. He’s attacked our democracy with the goal of gaining power and serving the interests of former President Donald Trump. His re-election will secure a path for Trump and the far-right to continue attacking fair elections, free speech, and the rule of law.
Lee must be stopped. These are the stakes.
McMullin is a great candidate. He’s well known in the state and has a reputation as a fair, open-minded, and moderate conservative. He has also shown he can raise the money it will take to compete with Lee, who can count on millions from dark money PACs, fringe special interest groups, and Trump’s network of corporate cronies. McMullin is polling ahead of any other challenger in the Republican primary or general election. His odds of victory dramatically improve if he and Mike Lee are the lone candidates on the ballot, if me and my fellow Democrats join independents and sensible Republicans.
I may surprise people with my stance, especially those who know me as Midvale’s most fiercely progressive city councilmember and state co-chair for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
I do not approach the issues with the same perspective as McMullin, but even with our different views we have come to some of the same common-sense conclusions: calls for steps to make voting easier and end gerrymandering, the need to include diverse voices in government, the imperative for science and data to guide issues like climate change and education, and the wisdom of letting compassion for each other have a say in how our government treats immigrants, children, LGBTQ+ folks and the disadvantaged.
McMullin has the common-sense stances that are compromises I can live with, and I’m confident he will be the most independent, thoughtful, and accessible senator Utah has had in generations. Democrats should join me in voting on April 23 to not put forward a candidate for Senate and support McMullin’s candidacy.
Dustin Gettel has been a Midvale City Councilmember since 2018 and is one of only seven out LGBTQ+ elected officials in Utah.
