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U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, left, and Evan McMullin, an independent who is challenging the incumbent in the race for the seat.

Photos supplied

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Evan McMullin poses for a photograph April 28, 2022, in Salt Lake City. McMullin, a newly empowered independent who's been backed by the Democrats, is running against Sen. Mike Lee, who is up for reelection.

Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

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U.S. Sen. Mike Lee talks to supporters during a Utah Republican election night party Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in South Jordan.

George Frey, Associated Press

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On Monday night, for the first and only time before Election Day, Utah’s two major candidates for the U.S. Senate will be on the same stage. Incumbent GOP Sen. Mike Lee and independent challenger Evan McMullin will participate in a debate at Utah Valley University beginning at 6 p.m., moderated by KSL NewsRadio host Doug Wright.

The debate will be streamed at https://utahdebatecommission.org/live-feed/ and on the Utah Debate Commission’s Facebook page. It will also be broadcast live on ABC4, Fox13, KSL5, KUTV and PBS Utah.

While the two will only be face to face once, their roads coming to the stage are vastly different but equally winding.

Mike Lee

As it stands, the senior senator from Utah is seeking a third term. Lee made it to the ballot after fending off two primary challengers — former Utah Rep. Becky Edwards and Ally Isom, a longtime staffer for former Gov. Gary Herbert. At the state GOP convention in April, Lee received a standing ovation before claiming a resounding victory over the two challengers with 70.74% of votes.

Because Edwards and Isom also gathered signatures, the trio headed to a primary election in June. Lee finished with 61.9% of the vote in the primary as well, advancing to the general election ballot.

Despite resounding victories in the GOP-only contests, it has not been a quiet year for Lee.

Both of his primary opponents targeted Lee for his support of then-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In April 2022, before state delegates stood and applauded him, it was revealed that Lee sent a host of text messages and supported lawyer John Eastman, author of a memo outlining a plan to flip election results, in his work with the Trump administration. In his text messages, Lee said he was working “14 hours a day” at one point to object to Joe Biden’s victory.

According to The New York Times, Lee endorsed a plan to have an alternate slate of electors in states won by Biden sent to Washington, D.C. Those alternate electors would then put forward votes for Trump despite their state’s popular vote. In the end, Lee voted to certify Biden’s election after no state legislators convened an alternate slate of electors.

Still, Lee has maintained support within the Utah Republican Party, evidenced by his convention and primary victories, and the national GOP. He has been endorsed by Trump along with 48 sitting U.S. senators, former Vice President Mike Pence, former ambassador Nikki Haley and a handful of conservative organizations.

Lee was first elected to the office in 2010 after he forced a primary between himself and businessman Tim Bridgewater after the duo ousted longtime Sen. Bob Bennett at the state convention. Lee won the primary with 51.2% support before winning the general election in 2010 and again in 2016.

Lee was raised in Provo and graduated with his bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from Brigham Young University.

Evan McMullin

McMullin, an independent with the backing of the Utah Democratic Party, is seeking the U.S. Senate for the first time. Over one year ago, on Oct. 5, 2021, McMullin launched his independent bid with no Democrat having yet declared for the race.

As state GOP delegates gathered in Sandy, McMullin joined delegates for the Utah Democratic Party at their convention in Cottonwood Heights. Kael Weston, a former U.S. State Department official and congressional candidate, had since started his campaign for the Senate seat, but delegates were left to decide whether they should nominate Weston or no candidate, meaning support is thrown behind McMullin.

After a speech to the delegates, and with the backing of former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, McMullin prevailed at the convention.

In subsequent months, McMullin has worked to build a coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans.

Approximately 14% of registered voters in the state are Democrats and 29.6% are unaffiliated, according to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

After graduating from BYU, McMullin worked for the CIA for a decade. He then attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an investment banker and staffer for the House Republican Conference. In 2016, he left the Republican Party due to Trump’s nomination. He then ran for president as an independent, receiving 21.5% of votes in Utah.

In recent news

As Election Day has grown closer, the race has commanded more and more attention, specifically through an increase in paid advertising. Commercials from Club For Growth, a conservative Super PAC, have drawn the ire of the McMullin campaign for using audio clips the campaign called “deceptively edited.”

In a statement released Sept. 29, McMullin campaign manager Andrew Roberts said, “to resort to desperate lies and deceptive editing like this is unacceptable. It’s counter to Utah values.”

Despite the McMullin campaign filing a lawsuit against the Super PAC, Club for Growth promised to keep up their advertising effort.

“We think it’s critical Mike Lee win this race and win it handily. We will continue to spend to bring Utah voters the truth about Mike Lee and Evan McMullin,” Club for Growth president David McIntosh said during a Tuesday afternoon teleconference.

Utah County residents are no strangers to the criticisms of McMullin. Billboards can be seen calling him a “deadbeat” over outstanding debts from his 2016 presidential run while others echo arguments made in Club for Growth’s TV ads.

Counter-ads from McMullin utilize news headlines from 2020 when, at an Arizona rally for Trump, Lee compared the president to Captain Moroni, a heroic figure from the Book of Mormon.

In an interview Tuesday on Fox News with Tucker Carlson, Lee implored Mitt Romney, Utah’s junior senator and the 2012 GOP nominee for president, to endorse him in the race.

“Help me win reelection. Help us do that. You can get your entire family to donate to me,” Lee said.

Despite the plea, Romney has stated he would not endorse either candidate.

In a poll of 509 statewide voters released by the Utah Debate Commission on Sept. 16, Lee received support from 48.13% of people surveyed compared to 37.33% for McMullin. The poll also showed support for third-party candidates James Hansen, of the Libertarian Party, and Tommy Williams, of the Independent American Party, at 4.72% and 4.52%, respectively. A candidate needed support from 10% of survey participants to qualify for the debate.

Of those surveyed across the state, 175 participants lived in the 3rd District — covering part of Utah County east of Utah Lake and north of 400 South Springville along with a majority of the state’s eastern half ranging from Park City to Moab — and 116 came from the 4th District, which includes Utah County residents south of 400 South in Springville and west of Utah Lake.

Of those in the 3rd District, 49.71% supported McMullin and 41.14% backed Lee. In the 4th District, 51.72% expressed support for Lee compared to 35.34% for McMullin.

In the most recent poll from the Deseret News, however, Lee garnered 41% support compared to 37% for McMullin with 12% of voters undecided. The poll was taken from Oct. 3-6 and included responses from 801 voters.

“Conservatives and liberals have largely made up their minds. Now we’re going to see how the silent, moderate majority exerts their power. That is the ground both candidates want,” Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, told the Deseret News.

The poll includes ranging favorability numbers for both major candidates, with the largest difference being in those without an opinion. Only 14% of respondents did not have an opinion, favorable or unfavorable, of Lee while 28% reported the same neutrality to McMullin.

County clerk’s offices will begin mailing ballots on Tuesday before voting culminates with Election Day on Nov. 8.