What's happening: Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson intends to vote for an independent candidate — Evan McMullin — to serve in Congress rather than a Democrat for the first time this fall.
Former Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams also endorsed McMullin and is urging the Democratic Party to not put up a candidate for the 2022 midterm election.
Context: McMullin, Democrat Kael Weston, and six Republican challengers — including community and business leader Ally Isom and former state lawmaker Becky Edwards — are challenging Sen. Mike Lee in the Senate race.
Why: In a time of extreme partisanship, Wilson said she’s excited to see where a senator who places Utah before party can take the state, and perhaps lead to more independent voices serving the country in the future.
“We are at a critical juncture, and I believe Democrats and Republicans need to choose to put duty to country before duty to party,” Wilson said.
The other side: Weston, the only Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate race, might not get on the ballot at all if some in the party, including Wilson, get their way.
Weston has called the effort to squeeze him out as a candidate “fundamentally disenfranchising.”
Read more about the Senate race for Lee's seat.
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