US Senate hopefuls Lee, McMullin spar over 2020 vote, inflation, more
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- U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, left, and Evan McMullin participate in a debate at Utah Valley University in Orem on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
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- Evan McMullin, right, speaks during the U.S. Senate debate as Mike Lee requests a rebuttal during their debate at Utah Valley University in Orem on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
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- Sen. Mike Lee stands on stage before the debate between himself and Evan McMullin at Utah Valley University in Orem on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
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- U.S. Senate candidate Evan McMullin speaks to members of the media after the debate between himself and Sen. Mike Lee at Utah Valley University in Orem on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
OREM — U.S. Senate hopefuls Mike Lee and Evan McMullin met in a debate Monday, sparring over inflation, immigration, the 2020 U.S. presidential vote and more.
Lee emphasized the importance of voting Republican to give the U.S. Senate a GOP majority, thus more power in countering the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden and the “rubber stamp” Democratic-controlled Congress. He also sounded a message against big government and excessive federal spending, blaming the Biden administration for what he says is its role in inflation.
“The federal government has been too big and too expensive because it was doing too many things for too long that it was never intended or designed to do,” Lee said. He blamed inflation on “Joe Biden and the Democratic Congress.”
McMullin, an independent, lamented the partisan state of politics, blasting “party bosses,” “extremist factions” and special interest groups. As an independent, he maintains Utah stands to become “the most influential state in the union” if he’s elected because legislation won’t be able to pass without backing from the state.
He blasted what he called “the broken politics” of Lee, one of many jabs at the incumbent, and name-dropped Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah’s more moderate U.S. senator, at a number of points.
“My opponent, Sen. Lee, believes that the world should be seen through a prism of partisanship, that it’s always Republicans versus Democrats, it’s always us versus them,” McMullin said. “But I’m here to say it doesn’t have to be that way.”
The hour-long encounter at Utah Valley University in Orem comes in the final stretch of an intense campaign marked by sharp attacks by advocates of each candidate on the other, most notably in a seemingly nonstop stream of television ads. Polling, at least some of it, has shown a tight race as Lee seeks his third term and McMullin, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, aims to take an untraditional route to power as an independent.
Some of the testiest exchanges occurred over the the 2020 presidential vote, which former President Donald Trump and some of his backers falsely say Trump won. Lee has been embroiled in controversy over his efforts ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. congressional vote to certify Biden’s presidential win to investigate the notion of letting states submit alternative pro-Trump slates of electors to Congress to potentially shift the outcome in Electoral College voting to Trump’s favor.
Amid that backdrop, Lee — asked if Biden fairly won the presidency in the 2020 vote — answered in the affirmative: “Yes, Joe Biden is our president. He was chosen in the only election that matters, the election held by the Electoral College.”
McMullin responded, charging that Lee had suggested to Trump’s White House that it seek out fake electors “to overturn the will of the people” by reversing the U.S. presidential popular vote totals to favor Trump.
“Sen. Lee, that was the most egregious betrayal of our nation’s Constitution in its history by a U.S. senator, I believe, and it will be your legacy,” McMullin continued, generating boos and a smattering of applause. “Sen. Lee, you advised spurrious so-called legal efforts to mislead tens of millions of citizens that the election had been stolen and congratulations, you succeeded.”
Lee rejected McMullin’s characterization. “Evan, that’s not true. You know that’s not true. You, sir, owe me an apology,” Lee said.
Leading up to Jan. 6, Lee said he had heard rumors some states were considering switching their slates of electors as Trump backers scrambled to keep Trump in power and that he looked into the matter. He determined the rumors were false, he said, and, on Jan. 6, ultimately affirmed the electoral balloting of the states as submitted, which resulted in Biden’s victory.
“There is absolutely nothing to the idea that I would have ever supported, ever did support, a fake electors plot. Nothing. There’s not a scintilla of evidence to suggest that,” Lee said. “Yet you continue to insist that with a cavalier, reckless disregard for the truth. This is sad, this is troubling.”
Asked about federal loans to college students, Lee said it’s not the government’s role to be involved in such matters. The Biden administration recently forgave some of the federal outstanding debt still owed by college students, heightening debate on the issue.
The federal government should “get out of the student loan business. It has no business there,” Lee said. “Put it back in the private sector and leave the federal government out of it.”
McMullin said the federal government has a role in backing college loans in certain circumstances, to lower-income students, for instance, “but it should be more careful” and narrowly focus its efforts.
On prescription drugs, McMullin said taxpayers should have more leeway and power in negotiating prices with manufacturers, thus alleviating skyrocketing prices.
Lee said he favors more competition in the pharmaceutical drug industry, arguing that will result in new innovations and lower prices. McMullin’s approach, he charged, would result in fewer drug options.
On immigration, McMullin said he’d favor efforts to grant citizenship to “dreamers,” immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents, generally as children. He also called for border security.
Lee expressed sympathy for “dreamers,” saying he doesn’t foresee a concerted effort to deport the contingent, but he put the emphasis on security. “First, we have to secure the border,” he said.
Monday’s debate was hosted by the Utah Debate Commission while Doug Wright, a former host on KSL radio, served as moderator.
The Utah Democratic Party did not field a candidate, instead throwing its support to McMullin. That has generated criticism from Lee that McMullin is beholden to the Democratic Party.
Two others are also on the ballot in the U.S. Senate race, Libertarian Jimmy Hansen and Tommy Williams, running under the Independent American Party banner. However, neither Hansen nor Williams garnered enough support ahead of the debate in polling to secure a spot on the stage on Monday.
