The not-quite-normal election

Today we’re pleased to feature exclusive commentary from Evan McMullin. Fresh off his nonpartisan U.S. Senate campaign in Utah, Evan has insights to share from that experience and his thoughts about where the independent movement in American politics is heading. Let us know what you think of Evan’s ideas and share some of your own here. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• Landmark same-sex marriage bill wins Senate passage —Associated Press

• Trump’s actions around 2020 election not protected by ‘absolute immunity,’ judge rules —Washington Examiner

• China zero Covid: U.S. criticizes Beijing, supports right to protest —CNBC

• Oath Keepers boss guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case —Associated Press

• Five things to watch as voting begins in Georgia Senate runoff —The Hill

Denialism hasn’t died

The election earlier this month was widely hailed as a return to democratic order, with a slew of election deniers and other extremists losing their bids for office. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean denialism has been expunged from the system. At least two counties proved that yesterday by voting to not certify their respective elections: Cochise County in Arizona and Luzerne County in Pennsylvania. The unprecedented effort to block certification in a few places is unlikely to derail any election winners from taking office, but they show how just a handful of people with roles in state election systems can muck up the process and try to sow chaos in elections. —Politico

• “There is no reason for us to delay.” Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs sued the Republican-controlled Cochise County Board of Supervisors yesterday after its refusal to certify its results by the state's statutory deadline. A spokesperson for Hobbs warned that she would use "all available legal remedies" to compel counties to comply with state law, which requires that county election results be certified by Nov. 28. —NBC News

• Kari won’t concede. Meanwhile Hobbs’ opponent for Arizona governor, Kari Lake, still hasn’t come to terms with her loss. Much of Lake’s campaign was centered around bolstering unfounded claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 election, so it’s no surprise that she has refused to acknowledge the results of her own election. Donald Trump, the famously ungraceful loser, has taken up her sorry cause, declaring the election “yet another criminal voting operation” and demanding that Lake be “installed Governor of Arizona.” Hoo boy. —Rolling Stone

• Maricopa is all good. Lake and others in the GOP have seized on printer malfunctions in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous jurisdiction that includes Phoenix, making it an epicenter for election challenges as they called on supervisors to vote against certification. In defiance of these objections, the Republican-controlled board of supervisors voted unanimously yesterday to certify the canvass in the county, insisting no voter was disenfranchised. Well done. —The Hill

MORE: Maricopa County releases data on Election Day issues —The Hill

Gohlke: Why an army of election deniers conceded their losses

“The Republicans’ underperformance in a midterm that favored them by every historical measure was a repudiation not just of the party in general but of its denialism in particular. Denialists were certainly elected... But most are in noncompetitive states and offices with limited involvement in running elections. Of the deniers running for offices with direct authority over elections in battleground states—governor, attorney general, and secretary of state—all lost. National Public Radio found that those candidates also tended to fare worse than fellow Republicans on the same ballot, suggesting public aversion to their particular brand of nonsense.” —Josh Gohlke in The Sacramento Bee

Josh Gohlke is deputy California opinion editor for McClatchy and The Sacramento Bee.

MORE: When democracy was on the ballot in 2022, voters usually chose it —FiveThirtyEight

Trump dining with Nazis? Say it ain’t so 

Looks like Republicans are finally starting to believe the hype about the ex-president’s penchant for hanging around with bigots. Donald Trump’s dinner at Mar-a-Lago last week with two anti-Semites—rapper and would-be POTUS candidate Kanye ‘Ye’ West and Nick Fuentes, notorious Holocaust denier, white nationalist, and member of Ye’s erstwhile 2024 campaign—has become a political nightmare. And Republicans are taking notice. Former Vice President Mike Pence has called on Trump to apologize. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump is “'highly unlikely” to win presidential election due to the dinner. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp slammed Trump for dining with the “un-American” Fuentes. And many of Trump’s Jewish supporters and donors say the dinner marks a breaking point for them. “This is simply inexcusable that he would have dinner with this noted white nationalist," former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent said. Inexcusable, yes, but not at all surprising. —Axios

Unbuild the wall: Breaking through division and dysfunction 

By Evan McMullin

Over the past six years, I’ve talked to a lot of people. Between running two independent campaigns for public office, and building cross-partisan coalitions around the country in the interim, I’ve had a chance to meet many Americans. Though every one of them has their own story, one theme is consistent everywhere: they are tired of political division and dysfunction. They know intrinsically that there’s a better way than the red-versus-blue doom loop that serves special interests instead of people, keeps the country mired in problems, and engenders extremism and chaos. But they also feel helpless. How did we get here? And what can we do about it?

Americans’ frustration is palpable and understandable, as the challenges are overwhelming. Partisan gerrymandering ensures that competitive congressional districts are practically extinct. Much of modern media—including, or perhaps especially, social media—is driven by clickbait that serves to inflame rather than inform. And massive, well-funded, ideologically driven special interest groups raise unlimited funds and spend tens of millions of dollars every cycle supporting polarizing candidates who prioritize extreme positions on complex issues rather than the hard work of bipartisan governance. Americans don’t agree on everything, but most of us agree on far more than we’re led to believe by the divisive leaders created and elevated by our system. 

So why is change so hard? Our system, unfortunately, rewards political division and dysfunction. Politicians who cater to partisan extremes operate on a divide-and-conquer premise. They benefit when government doesn’t work, because that allows them to stir up anger and discord in the electorate. Consumed by outrage, voters are often too distracted by disinformation, propaganda, half-truths, and outright lies to hold these politicians accountable for their ineffectual (or nonexistent) leadership. The answer to this seemingly insurmountable problem is to break out of our flawed system and build innovative new coalitions to defeat and replace the politicians who allow it to perpetuate.

My experience with coalition-building began during my 10 years in the CIA. I volunteered to go undercover after 9/11 because Islamist terrorism threatened the U.S. and our allies around the world. My counterterrorism work overseas taught me a lot about how the right alliances can literally save your life. Our assignments were dangerous, and our operations were only successful because of the invaluable partnerships we formed with local Muslims and other international allies, who were fighting the same forces of extremism that we were. Regardless of race, creed, and nationality, we were all on the same side, working together toward a common goal. I never forgot those lessons.

Today, political extremism here at home is putting our democracy at risk again. While the players have changed and the threats are different, the strategy is the same. Saving our democracy and making it work again for all Americans requires us to break through political walls and forge new and unlikely alliances across party lines. For some people, this isn’t an easy thing to do, particularly if their identity is tied closely to their party affiliation, or they have very specific policy interests. But in my experience, it can be done. Here’s how:

1. Ditch the duopoly. No, this doesn’t mean changing your party registration, if you’re happy where you’re at. But it does mean acknowledging that two parties cannot possibly represent the preferences and interests of all Americans, and strict party allegiance often puts leaders at odds with the well-being of the people. For candidates, political independence in some form is necessary to best serve the interests of the people and the nation as a whole. Not affiliating with one of the two major parties comes with its own challenges, but it also gives legislators the freedom to truly prioritize people over party. This builds trust.

2. Listen and find common ground. I believe strongly that even Americans with disparate political views share many of the same principles. If you start with principles, instead of party or policy, you can find a lot of common ground. I don’t say this out of naive idealism, but out of direct experience. For example, Americans from across the ideological spectrum, including me, share a commitment to preserving voting rights, lowering healthcare costs, and living up to our responsibility of stewardship for the environment, among other issues. I’ve discovered this simply by listening to and engaging in civil discussions with people. This builds fellowship.

3. Stand together. There is strength in numbers, and cross-partisan coalitions exemplify that axiom. Such coalitions ensure that voters of all walks of life are welcome and feel seen and heard. Working together, they can propel an independent-minded candidate to electoral success. Then they can maintain those alliances to advance important legislation in Congress. It’s not as hard as we think it is. It just takes a willingness to join forces with our fellow Americans. That’s how we march forward to a better future.

In my case, I launched an independent U.S. Senate campaign in my home state of Utah to challenge Sen. Mike Lee. Though I’m a center-right conservative, the Utah Democrats chose to join my coalition rather than run a candidate of their own that would likely lose in deep-red Utah. I pledged to caucus with neither party and instead work with them both in good faith to find solutions to move Utah and the country forward. Though we did not prevail, our highly competitive showing against a powerful incumbent senator established a blueprint for how other independent candidates can run a truly cross-partisan campaign. I am immensely proud of our efforts and endlessly grateful for the trust and support we received from Utahns and Americans of all political persuasions. I know others will build on what we accomplished.

America is still a special place, but we’ve been weakened by political division and dysfunction. Fortunately, our shared principles have enormous power to unite us, as the encouraging results of these midterm elections revealed in many places. We cannot rest on our laurels now. We must continue to take the steps necessary to break down the walls of division, find common ground, and advance solutions to the major challenges we face. 

Evan McMullin is the co-founder of the Renew American Foundation. He is a former independent candidate for President and U.S. Senate.

Donald Trump may be a candidate for president, but since Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special prosecutor to investigate the former president, it would be in Trump's best interest to cooperate. If he is not guilty of wrongdoing, he has nothing to worry about. One would think he would want to help clear himself. —John C., Florida

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.