Evan McMullin, who had mounted his own presidential bid, kept tabs on the results from his Salt Lake City watch party.
McMullin, a former GOP adviser, had launched a long shot presidential bid as an alternative to President Trump. Despite the long odds, McMullin was hopeful about his performance in Utah, given Trump’s deep unpopularity there.
{mosads}Trump ultimately carried McMullin’s home state, where the former CIA operative came in third.
Like many who attended his party at a concert-style venue, he expected Clinton to win, with Republicans faced on Nov. 9 with the task of rebuilding their party after Trump’s defeat.
McMullin said attendees at the party, including himself, were “concerned” — he recalled seeing fear in the eyes of some campaign workers. But even with the disappointment, McMullin said Trump’s victory emboldened his efforts to continue challenging Trump.
“There was a feeling that I had that ‘OK, buckle up, this is going to continue and we’ve got a lot more work to do.’ ”