Third party presidential candidate Evan McMullin is giving Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton a run for their money in his home state of Utah.
McMullin only just announced his candidacy in August, but his Mormon faith and conservative values helped him gain quick traction in Utah, where roughly 60 percent of the population is Mormon. The independent candidate previously worked for the CIA and was formerly the chief policy director for the House Republican Conference in the House of Representatives.
USC Political Science professor Bob Shrum said that Utah Republicans are finding McMullin to be a better choice this year.
"Republicans in Utah are naturally averse to Hillary Clinton, and many of them are appalled by Donald Trump, so they're looking for a third alternative," Shrum said.
Utahn conservative voter Maddi Biederman said Evan McMullin has her vote.
"Do I think Trump's a conservative? Absolutely not. Is Hillary Clinton? No, polar opposite. And is Gary Johnson? No, he's not even a devout libertarian," Biederman said, "so I think Evan McMullin is great. I think he embodies Utah very well. But while he's polling really well right now, I think Trump having an R by his name is going to hold a lot of weight."
Shrum said the candidate won't have much of an impact on the general election; however, McMullin's ability to pull conservative voters away from Trump shows just how divided the Republican Party is.
"I think after this election you'll see a real fight for the soul and future of the Republican party and that's not just because McMullin there. He's a symptom of the underlying reality that Republicans are deeply divided about Trump," Shrum said.
Emerson College released a poll of Utah voters last week and reported that 31 percent of respondents support Evan McMullin, as opposed to 24 percent for Clinton and 27 percent for Trump. McMullin appears on the ballot in 11 states, but voters can write in McMullin in any state.
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Correction: In a previous version of this story, Evan McMullin's last name was spelled "McMillan" in one instance. A previous version also said that McMullin was "favored" to win in Utah, but nearly every poll shows Trump in the lead in the state — though the Emerson College poll does show McMullin ahead.
Annenberg Media