Anti-Trump candidate Evan McMullin's real battle may be trying to get on the ballot

In Evan McMullin's case, late might not be better than never. If the anti-Trump conservative, former CIA agent, and chief policy director of the House Republican Conference goes ahead with his reported plan Monday to launch an independent presidential bid, he'll already have missed the deadline to get on the ballot in half of the nation's 50 states:

To get back on the ballot in those states, ABC News reported, McMullin's campaign will "likely have to sue" — and if he misses all seven of the Aug. 10 deadlines, he'll be off the ballot in more states than he's on it. But as Quartz reporter Tim Fernholz pointed out, McMullin could conceivably block the reliably red state of Utah from tilting Trump:

As it stands, McMullin's pending candidacy has only been reported through unnamed sources. He's expected to announce a formal bid himself Monday.

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