Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is firing back at a local Utah newspaper for publishing a piece that purportedly showed him endorsing himself for reelection — which the Republican is saying is not the case.
In a seemingly bizarre op-ed published over the weekend by the Salt Lake Tribune, an article attributed to Lee touted the Utah Republican for his “reputation as [a] principled conservative” in his reelection bid against independent candidate Evan McMullin (I-UT). But representatives for Lee said they provided “a version of Sen. Lee’s standard bio” rather than an op-ed to be published.
“It’s regrettable it was presented as being from Sen. Lee, but they have told me they’re updating it to be from the campaign,” a spokesperson for Lee’s campaign told the Washington Examiner.
MIKE LEE URGES ROMNEY TO OFFER ENDORSEMENT IN TIGHTER-THAN-EXPECTED UTAH SENATE RACE
The Salt Lake Tribune had solicited an essay from Lee’s campaign to include in the outlet’s midterm election voter guide as a way to “make their case for election,” the newspaper said in a statement. The outlet had also contacted McMullin, who provided a similar piece that was published on the same day.
The article apparently from Lee garnered widespread attention, as many pointed out the odd move to write the op-ed in the third person while failing to mention his reelection bid or his opponent.
“Mike Lee serves as a United States senator representing the state of Utah. Since taking office, Sen. Lee has earned a reputation as a principled conservative,” the story states. “He believes elected officials are responsible for keeping the federal government within its constitutionally limited role.”
However, the op-ed received renewed attention when the byline was reportedly removed from the story before being added again — only this time as being attributed to “Campaign for Mike Lee.”
Lee is seeking to fend off a challenge from McMullin in a tighter-than-expected Senate race that is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in decades for the deep-red state. Lee has maintained a lead in the polls over the last few months, but recent polling shows a narrowing margin between him and McMullin, a one-time Republican who ran against former President Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary elections in 2016.
About 41% of registered Utah voters say they’d vote for Lee if the election were held today, compared to 37% who said the same for McMullin, according to a new Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll. The four-point margin is slightly narrower than Lee’s five-point lead in a similar poll conducted in July.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Senate race in Utah is generally deemed non-competitive as Republicans are typically favored to win federal and statewide races against their Democratic challengers. However, the Utah Senate race has garnered nationwide attention after state Democrats opted not to advance a candidate from their own party and instead threw their support behind McMullin. The vote not to advance their own candidate was a first-of-its-kind move aimed at shifting the balance of power in the state.
McMullin has vowed that if elected, he would not caucus with either party.
