Mike Lee Is In an Unexpectedly, Uncomfortably Tight Race With Joke and Fake "Independent" Democrat Evan "McMuffin" McMullin -- and Mitt Romney Refuses to Endorse the Republican in the Race

Romney says this is a race "between two friends [of Mitt Romney]" and says he wants to remain neutral.

Except... even if they're both "friends," one is a member of your party, the other is a man endorsed by the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party did not nominate any candidate, so that all Democrats will vote for this fake "independent," knowing that he's actually a Democrat, but pretending to be an "independent" to pull some NeverTrump nominal Republicans over on the fiction of his independence.

Mitt Romney is determined to aid and abet him in this fraud.

Although Lee is slightly ahead, he's only slightly ahead -- and that's because of Mitt Romney implicitly vouching for Evan McMullin's absurd claims that he won't caucus with the Democrats, or the Republicans.

Of course he will.

Mike Lee is alarmed enough that he went on Tucker last night to plead with the Democrat Mitt Romney, I'm sorry, I mean the Severe Conservative Mitt Romney, and actually prove he's a Republican by endorsing a Republican in a close race.

Is Utah's U.S. Senate race getting too close for comfort for incumbent Republican Mike Lee? The latest sign Lee may be feeling the heat came during a Tuesday appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program, where he begged Sen. Mitt Romney to get behind his campaign to defeat independent candidate Evan McMullin.

"Please get on board. Help me win reelection," Lee said between pleas for campaign donations.

Romney has so far refused to endorse either candidate in the contest. The former GOP presidential nominee says he considers both Lee and McMullin friends, which is why he's staying out of the contest.

In September, Lee touted the endorsement of every Republican in the U.S. Senate. Romney's name was notably absent from the list.

Lee said he understands Romney's reluctance to issue an endorsement but urged him to get off the fence as control of the U.S. Senate may hang in the balance.

"I don't think Mitt Romney wants Chuck Schumer to continue to be the Senate Majority Leader. That's exactly what this will lead to if Utah is tricked into electing Evan McMullin, a closeted Democrat, into the United States Senate," Lee said.

I think he does want Chuck Schumer as the majority leader.

On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump jumped to Lee's aid, saying Romney has "abused" Lee by not helping his fellow Republican.

"Mike Lee is an outstanding Senator who has been abused, in an unprecedented way, by a fellow Republican Senator from his own State, something which rarely has happened in Political history," Trump said in a statement.

Trump said Romney's refusal to help Lee was puzzling since Lee has performed his duties well.

"Mitt Romney is the Junior Senator from the Great State of Utah, which I won twice in a landslide, once by beating the candidate, Evan "McMuffin" McMullin, who is currently running against Senator Lee," Trump said.

...

As polls suggest the gap between Lee and McMullin is narrowing, Lee's rhetoric has grown increasingly intense. Recently he began accusing McMullin of being a Democrat in disguise because the Utah Democratic Party opted not to field a candidate in the race. He has also claimed, without evidence, that McMullin would caucus with Democrats if elected to the U.S. Senate. McMullin has said multiple times he would not caucus with either party.

Sure. And Evan McMullin said he would pay his campaign vendors, which he still has not done. One Florida firm he stiffed for $500,000.

But Evan McMuffin is an honorable man. Like all NeverTrumpers.

Mitt Romney is an honorable man, too. He convinced the honorable Joe Biden to enter the 2020 presidential race in order to defeat a Republican president.

He also seems to have cheered the Democrats' wins in the 2018 midterms.

Though Dan Greenfield notes this language is "vague:"

Another tidbit from Gabriel Debenedetti's The Long Alliance.

How badly did Mitt Romney betray Republicans? If you believe the book, he was urging Biden to run in 2018.

"It felt a lot better than last time he'd done this -- that dark November night in 2016 -- and not just because his party was winning this time. He was also hearing a welcome refrain, sometimes from surprising corners of the political universe. At one point he connected with Mitt Romney, Obama's old foe who'd been easily elected to the Senate as a rare Trump-opposing Republican. They were warm as Biden cheered the result. Then Romney got to the point: You have to run, he said."

The language is vague.

Biden is cheering Dem midterm wins. Is Romney? At the very least he's not unhappy about them.

I don't want to scare anyone -- Mike Lee has a five point lead on Evan McMuffin and Republicans are probably a bit underrepresented there, even in Utah.

But there must be some reason, something in internal polling that Mike Lee doesn't like, that compelled him to go on Tucker Carlson. I don't think he likes Carlson. Carlson is a populist, and Lee is a doctrinaire, dopey Corporations Are Our New Gods libertarian.

And this is by far the closest general election race Mike Lee has seen:

This is Lee’s toughest campaign since he defeated Tim Bridgewater in the 2010 Republican primary by just 4,607 votes. Lee won the 2010 general election by nearly 30 points and cruised to a second term in 2016 by more than 40 points.

Maybe he's just spooked to be ahead by less than double digits.

Steven Kruiser said he's had it with Mitt Romney's "tedious treachery." He's speaking about his refusal to endorse a Republican for the senate:

Mittens masquerades as a man of deep principles. In reality, he's a base political opportunist, no different from most politicians.

He's also a guy who keeps his fellow Republicans looking over their shoulders.

Romney's "principles" occasionally compel him to shiv other Republicans in the back. Lincoln has the story of Romney's latest antic:

It was no surprise to me to learn that Utah's answer to Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney (can we just call him "Liz" Romney?), refused to give [Sen. Mike] Lee his endorsement ahead of the midterms.

The Deseret News said that a campaign spokesman stated that the support included endorsements, donations, or expressions of support. The same article quoted Romney as saying, "I don't think endorsements make any difference in a race to speak of. People in the race are my friends. I usually try and avoid situations where they've been friends. I may endorse and I may not, but I really haven't given it any thought at this point."

...

Yes, Mitt Romney is a solid vote most of the time. The problem with him is that he loves these moments where the left media fawns over him for doing something that irritates other Republicans. He relishes this kind of spotlight, which makes him completely untrustworthy. His "John McCain saves Obamacare" moment isn't too far off.

The Republican party will never be able to accomplish anything significant until it purges what I like to call its "Romney Wing." There is progress being made in that regard, but the wing's namesake will eventually have to go.

Mitt Romney will remain loyal to his "good friend" -- actually, just his NeverTrumper Deep State co-conspirator -- Evan McMuffin.

Mitt Romney and the other NeverTrumpers are always bleating that they are "above party" -- but they have a party they are 100% loyal to. And that party is the NeverTrump faction. You never hear NeverTrumpers criticize any other NeverTrumpers. They are always demanding Republicans hold Republicans accountable -- but they never lead by example and hold their own, other NeverTrumpers, accountable.

They're always giving each other jobs and donations and political support. No matter how unread a NeverTrump commentator is, he is always guaranteed a job somewhere.

There's no such thing as firing a NeverTrumper -- there is just escorting them to their next guaranteed gig.

And here: They're trying to give a fellow NeverTrumper a Senate seat. To keep it in the NeverTrump family.

If Republicans are to win the Senate, they need Utah, obviously. They cannot afford to lose the seat to a Democrat.

But Mitt Romney wants that to happen. Because Even McMullin is a member of his party, and he will never, ever cross his party.

Video of Mike Lee's appearance below.

posted by Ace at 03:20 PM

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