Evan McMullin, a 2016 independent candidate for president, said Friday that he is considering launching a primary bid against either Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, or Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, in 2018.
McMullin said during an “ask me anything” discussion on Reddit that it is is “likely” that he will run for office again and that it might be in 2018 against one of the two Utah politicians. However, he said he isn’t sure what his plans are at this point only four months after ending his independent presidential campaign over four months ago.
“It is likely that I will seek public office again,” McMullin said. “That might be in 2018 or it might be sometime down the road, perhaps very far down the road. I genuinely just don’t know yet.”
“It is possible that I will challenge Chaffetz or Senator Hatch, but there are a lot of factors that go into that decision,” McMullin said. “One of the primary factors is what the people of Utah want. Plenty of people outside of Utah or who do not vote in the Republican primary are eager to see Chaffetz replaced, for example. But he may be supported by his Republican primary voters and, if so, that has to be taken into account.”
Hatch has not definitively announced his intentions for 2018, but revealed last week that he is leaning toward seeking an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. He recently received a boost to his 2018 chances when former Gov. Jon Huntsman, who had been mentioned as a possible challenger to Hatch, accepted the Trump administration’s offer to become the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, made waves in early February when he was greeted by a raucous, anti-Trump town hall crowd and has received criticism for his unwillingness to investigate Trump’s potential conflicts of interests.
McMullin, along with Mandy Finn, his former running mate, currently chairs Stand Up Republic and remains a constant critic of Trump.
