Cruz blasts 'deceptive' tactics in Democrat-free Utah election featuring Evan McMullin against Sen. Lee

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, in the midst of a multi-state bus tour to stump for GOP candidates in key races, tore into anti-Trump Utah senate candidate Evan McMullin, who is mounting a challenge in a tight, Democrat-less race against Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Cruz claimed the Democratic Party is trying to deceive voters in the Beehive State by declining to run an explicit Democrat nominee, and instead reportedly throwing much of their support behind McMullin – a former CIA officer and House Republican Conference staffer.

"This race here in Utah – Mike Lee, unfortunately, has a real race – I'm here campaigning for Mike [who] is phenomenal," he said.

"I believe Mike Lee is one of the greatest senators ever to have served in the United States Senate. He is brilliant. He's a constitutional scholar. He is a fierce and ferocious fighter over and over again for a decade. Mike and I have been side by side, shoulder to shoulder, fighting to defend freedom, defend the Constitution."

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Cruz went on to brand the independent challenger "McMuffin," borrowing a nickname originally dubbed by Donald Trump in 2016, when McMullin mounted a presidential bid against him.

"The Democrats are doing something really deceptive and dishonest. The Democrats have not run a, quote, ‘Democrat’ candidate," Cruz said. 

"Instead, you've got McMuffin who is theoretically running as an independent… but the Democrat Party in Utah has endorsed him. They are raising millions of dollars for him through ActBlue, the same entity they used to support Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and AOC."

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"He voted for Joe Biden," Cruz claimed, while in 2020, McMullin had tweeted that a vote for the Delaware Democrat isn't a commitment to support his every decision but to "defend the republic [and] take back our government from Vladimir Putin and Trump family corruption."

McMullin previously riffed on the "McMuffin" moniker, asking Trump on social media if it's a "true story" that Egg McMuffins from McDonalds taste better than steaks from the former president's Trump Tower grill in New York.

McMullin notably helped spearhead a letter from several Republican figures threatening to leave the party if it does not "reform" itself in the immediate aftermath of the House GOP Conference's ouster of then-Chairwoman Elizabeth Cheney of Wyoming.

On "Hannity," Cruz further claimed Democrats in Utah intentionally are not running a candidate in the hopes that, combining their support with "even just 5%" of casual voters on the GOP side, they can unseat Lee.

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Cruz accused McMullin of being "complicit [with] the cultural Marxists doing damage to our country," and warned he may support Democratic election federalization legislation.

For his part McMullin has defended his run against Lee as a unifying effort, to – in his words – "stand up to the broken politics of division and extremism."

McMullin previously cited his CIA service as first-hand witness to "extremist movements that robbed people of their basic freedoms."

His campaign platform opposes gerrymandering and "electoral corruption," the influence of money in politics and repeatedly voices support for "common ground."

Host Sean Hannity dubbed McMullin a "Romney Republican" – in reference to the fellow Utahns apprehension toward Trumpism.

McMullin has been endorsed by some Republicans as well, including former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a Trump critic and onetime RNC Chairman.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean also lended his support, according to the Deseret News.