Mindy Finn, February 10, 1981 (Houston, Tex.) -
VP candidate for Independent (2016)
Running mate with nominee: David Evan McMullin (b. 1976)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Donald Trump's takeover of the Republican Party in 2016 while basically transforming it into his own personality cult was the basis for the exodus of longtime establishment members of that organization. Stalwart Republicans (many of them Neocons) and influential conservatives such as President Bush I and II and son/sibling Jeb and Marvin, Carly Fiorina, Lindsay Graham, John Kasich, George Pataki, William Bennett, Bill Brock, Bill Cohen, Robert Gates, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Tom Ridge, William Ruckelshaus, Brent Scowcroft, George Schultz, Christine Todd Whitman, Paul Wolfowitz, Larry Hogan, Brian Sandoval, Rick Snyder, Jon Huntsman, William Milliken, Marc Racicot, Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, over a dozen sitting Republican US Senators, over 30 Republican members of the House, Slade Gorton, Barry Goldwater Jr., J.C. Watts, Bill Kristol, Sam Reed, Chris Vance, Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson, Glenn Beck, Meghan McCain, Michael Medved, Tom Nichols, P.J. O'Rourke, Jennifer Rubin, George Will, and Meg Whitman (just to name a few) all refused to endorse their Party's nominee. A few of them left the Party entirely while others such as Sen. Graham did an about-face and became loyal Trump collaborators after Jan. 2017.
Some of them, such as President Bush I, Powell, and both Whitmans endorsed/voted for Hillary Clinton. Others endorsed Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party or Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party. But the most unusual and spontaneous of the Never Trumpers was Evan McMullin who had gained the endorsement/vote of US Senators Lindsay Graham [!!!], Jeff Flake and Mike Lee, also Slade Gorton, Bill Kristol, Sam Reed, and Meghan McCain among others.
McMullin was a former CIA operations officer and staff member for the House Republican Conference. He announced his run late in the game, Aug. 10, 2016 and scrambled to gain ballot access in as many states as he could. He was printed on the ballot in 11 states and was a registered write-in in 24 more, giving him a far-fetched potential of 310 Electoral College votes. McMullin filed with the FEC as an Independent on Aug. 15, 2016.
Some of his statements during the campaign indicate he saw himself as the only true conservative Republican in the race. McMullin certainly was no fan of Hillary Clinton, who he called "corrupt," but Trump received the most criticism--
--"And I stand for limited government and for individual liberty, and I saw in this election that the choices that the two major party candidates offered, as well as other candidates in the race, weren't sufficient or weren't adequate for our country and for the American people. So a couple of months ago, I decided seeing that no one else would get into the race to offer the American people a better choice, I decided to get in and try to do just that."
--"Well, I think Donald Trump is just not trustworthy whatsoever. I mean, he has spent his entire life being in favor of late-term abortions and opposed to the Second Amendment and has even spoken in favor of single-payer healthcare, even in this election. He's defended Planned Parenthood, even in this election. And Donald Trump is not someone who can be trusted. This is a man who does not stand for anything other than himself."
--"The notion that he would appoint Supreme Court justices who are constitutional conservatives, I think, is a real stretch to put it mildly. He's also said his sister would make a great justice. And she is certainly not a constitutional conservative. She's quite liberal, in fact. He's just not somebody who has any credibility on these issues. He is a big government-type of person, just like Hillary Clinton. And I am, I believe, truly the only conservative in this race."
--"I know dictators and authoritarians when I see them, and Donald Trump is one of them. I will do everything in my power to prevent him from becoming president of the United States."
--"Donald Trump appeals to the worst fears of Americans at a time we need unity, not division. Republicans are deeply divided by a man who is perilously close to gaining the most powerful position in the world, and many rightly see him as a real threat to our Republic."
--"I am unknown because I've avoided the limelight so that I could serve. In the case of Donald Trump, he has avoided service so that he could seek the limelight.
--"Trump has never sacrificed anything for this country, and in fact, he has attacked people who have. It just makes me sick to my stomach when I see him attacking the mother of a fallen hero or John McCain. It just makes me sick to my stomach that this guy thinks he's prepared to be commander-in-chief."
--"I think Utahns - and I won't speak for all Utahns - but my sense is that they have real issues with Donald Trump's lack of decency, with his bigotry, the way he's divided this country. That's not the Utahn way. I think they have issues with his attacks on religious minorities."
--"The idea that Donald Trump is a conservative is a complete farce. He is a conman who pretends to be a conservative."
Although Mindy Finn was McMullin's official running-mate, it was the "placeholder" name of Nathan Daniel Johnson that appeared on printed ballots in every case. The media made a deal out of the fact the McMullin/Finn ticket consisted of a Mormon from Utah (McMullin) a Jewish woman from DC.
Finn had been a rising young star in the Establishment Republican Party, but something of an anomaly as a center-Right feminist. Her views of Trump echoed McMullin--
--"First of all, we believe strongly that what makes American special and America strong is our commitment to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The liberty component is really critical there. We have someone in Donald Trump who has tried to limit free speech. He has talked of admiring murderous dictators and tyrants. That’s one major area we’re different. Also rhetorically. We believe that everybody is equal and valuable in this country. We welcome immigrants, we celebrate that we are a country of immigrants and a melting pot, and we think three’s no place in the political arena for racism, sexism and bigotry."
--"I think Trump, in addition to his policies that I think are dangerous for the country at large, it has been clear throughout Trump’s campaign that he views women as lesser than. He’s objectified them throughout his life and continued to do so in his campaign, and seems to be very threatened by smart, successful, powerful women, and that is anathema to who we are as Americans. The view I take is that while I’m proud to live in a free and prosperous country, I do believe American is a special land and should be a beacon to the world. And part of that leadership is that women are equal under the law and I do have concerns in how Trump talks about and treats women. I think it’s very clear in his rhetoric that he sees them as second class citizens."
--"Donald Trump is unique. He speaks and acts and stands for things that most Republicans didn't prior to the cycle," Finn says. "But, by many of those leaders getting on board with Donald Trump, failing to repudiate him, failing to make a full-throated argument against racism, sexism and religious bigotry, they've allowed Donald Trump to mainstream views that are not conservative for any kind of conservatism that I was part of, and are certainly dangerous for the country."
Although the McMullin/Finn ticket did not officially garner any printed ballot votes, the McMullin/Johnson team placed 5th nationally, finishing in third place in Idaho and Utah, two Mormon strongholds. In Utah, McMullin finished with a whopping 21.54% and in Idaho with 6.73%. Other states where he topped 1% were: Minnesota 1.80%, Virginia 1.36%, Kentucky 1.18%, Arkansas 1.17%, Colorado 1.04%, South Carolina 1.00%.
Following the election in 2017 Finn and McMullin co-founded Stand Up Republic.
Election history: none.
Other occupations: journalist, Republican Party digital strategist, founder of Empowered Women,
Notes:
Worked on the Bush 2008 and Romney 2012 campaigns.
Washington State trivia alert!!! McMullin spent a significant part of his younger years in the Seattle area.
