Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin names Republican activist as running mate

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 October 2016

Evan McMullin, the independent presidential candidate who announced in August he was running as a conservative alternative to Donald Trump, named his running mate on Thursday: Republican activist and political and digital strategist Mindy Finn.

"I've been part of the group opposing Donald Trump in the Republican Party really since he announced last summer and as he continued to alienate and vilify people in this country," Finn told ABC News. She has "encouraged others to run for office," she said, adding that this is now an "opportunity to walk the walk." Finn has worked for Twitter, Google, former President George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney, and was once a senior digital strategist for the Republican National Committee. The 35-year-old said it's been "pretty discouraging" to see Republicans embrace Trump, and she's not afraid to go up against him. "I don't think the threat of hearing nasty things should keep people out of the public eye," she said. "You have to be tough. I kind of have to put on my teflon armor and take it."

The McMullin/Finn ticket realizes it's basically impossible for them to win, and their goal is to block Hillary Clinton and Trump from getting the necessary 270 electoral votes, sending the election to the House of Representatives. They also have another issue unique to their campaign: McMullin used the placeholder named Nathan Johnson as his running mate to gain ballot access, and the campaign said it's ready to go to battle in court to make sure Finn gets on the ballot.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.