mcmullin is an independent presidential candidate and mindy finn is the independent vice president of candidate. let me begin with you by the numbers. how many states are you on the ballot and how many do you votes? for write-in >> we will appear on the ballot of 11 states and then we will be registered as a right in the number of others that will total, including the ballots where we have secured on the ballot, 43 to 45 states by election they. the vast majority of americans will be up to vote for us -- will be able to cast a vote for us. reaching 270 votes by november 8 is going to be very difficult evan that we are three-month presidential campaign and as a result, related circumstances, but our strategy is different. not our strategy. our strategy is to win as many states as we can in hopes that if the election is close between hillary clinton and donald trump, we could block them both and prevent them from gaining the threshold. in that case, the election would go to the house of representatives where we like our chances. youindy finn, utah, where are today, is it not voted for a

mindy finn is a vice presidential candidate. both joining us from salt lake city. thank you very much for being with us. >> great to be with you. >> mr. mcmullin, let me begin with you by the numbers. how many states are you on the ballot and how many do you qualify for write-in votes and how do you try to get to 270 electoral votes? >> well, we will appear on the ballot of 11 states, and then we will be registered as a write-in in a number of others that will total, including the ballots where we appear actually on the ballot, 43 to 45 states by election day. so the vast majority of americans will be able to cast a vote for us. but the reality is that reaching 270 votes on november 8th is going to be very, very difficult given the fact that we're a three-month presidential campaign and as a result also related circumstances. but our strategy is different. that is not actually our strategy. our strategy is to win as many states as we can in hopes that if the election is close between hillary clinton and donald trump, we could block them both and prevent them also f

only his running mate, mindy finn, by his side. no private jets here. >> so in terms of seating arrangements what's best for cameraman in the front seat? >> this is how we roll, exactly. actually, we use uber a lot. >> that's probably a little different than the way trump and hillary are getting around. >> it is. it works, keeps us light and flexible. >> reporter: mcmullin is 40 years old, born in utah, spent ten years in the cia where he says he hunted down al qaeda leaders in the middle east. he was also an investment banker and a house republican staffer. now he's running for president. >> i'm here with the presidential candidate and the no security. no big -- >> oh, i think you're undervaluing these two guys here. they're tough. >> why do you want to be president of the united states? >> well, it's more actually about my belief that we just need better leaders in this country. we stand for the fact that we're the only conservatives in this race and that we stand for the fundamental ideals that have made this country special. >>

that's what mindy finn and i are building, and we're getting great traction across the country. we've only been in the race for, you know, under two months, and have built something that's becoming a movement, candidly, and we have millions of supporters across the country already. these are people who could never support trump. these are people who are just salt of the earth sorts of men and women who -- who love this country and to accept the fact that we were all created equal, all men and all women and that we have, we're entitled to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness. >> lem read yt me read you this statement. 5:05, john mccain's withdrawal of support for donald trump which is no small thing. it's now 5:22. but he is not yet edging towards you. end of his statement, referring to his wife. cindy and i will not vote for donald trump. never voted for a democratic candidate and will not vote for hillary clinton. we will write in the name of some good conservative republican whose qualified to be president. are you going to call john mccain? are these some of the people yo

mindy finn and i, my running mate, we stand for limited government.e stand for a commitment to the foundational principles upon which our country was started, the idea that all men and women are created equal, that we all have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. we didn't see anyone standing for these principles in this election. that's why we got into the race. of course, our odds are long, and they get better, though, if the race is closer. right now the race is not close. hillary clinton is dominating donald trump so handily in the electoral college projections. >> right. but the way you win is winning a state or two, and it gets essentially -- nobody gets to 270 and it goes to the house of representatives, right? >> that's right. again, that's very difficult, but that's the electoral opportunity for us. again, it's a three-month campaign. we got in because we thought the american people deserved better options. that's why it's not ideal, but it's what had to happen. otherwise, we're standing for principle. we're standing on pri

up in the polls for months, trump's tape has sparked a moment for mcmullin and his running mate, mindy finne that has them leading in the state according to one recent poll. >> what they'll tell us is you're offering a glimmering of light the in what has been a sea of darkness in this election. >> mcmullin's goals are twofold. first, open the door to this exceedingly unlikely scenario. >> and we've said that if the race is very, very close between hillary clinton and donald trump, we could win a state or two ask block them both and take the election to the house. >> but second, and given recent polling most importantly for mcmullin and fin, create an alternative to those turned off by trump. >> if hillary clinton is dominating donald trump, what the outcome here in utah and other states doesn't matter quite as much. we're saying even in that case, stand on principal, stand for what you know is right. stand for the kind of leadership you would like to see in this country and let's build from there. >> a lot to talk about here. joining me now live via skype from washington is cnn politics rep

utahens and getting our message out we're the only conservatives in this race, my running mate mindy finn i and utahans are taking a second look and people are supporting us. clearly there's work to be done. >> awesome news for you and congratulations on that. just on the sliver of this that is hillary clinton, again, to my point, this is a red state, you see previous elections, it's been republican, republican, republican. do you think -- at the notion that you could play spoiler, evan, between donald trump and hillary clinton, which race would you prefer spoiling? >>. >> well, i'm not a spoiler, i'm a candidate like their candidates. i'm running for president just like they are. i have the same constitutional rights to run for president and we are pursuing those and i would say that donald trump is a spill other of conservatism and the republican party in the great state of utah. this is a state that should be won by a conservative, most likely a republican, but because his candidacy and he is a candidate that is so weak and flawed as we've learned, especially over the past week but i'v

millions of americans are already supporting my campaign with mindy finn and we're only two months into us, it's a shorter run. it's a lot shorter, right? >> let me go back to that. even in the worst poll you see, he's got 31% from republican voters. >> i would hardly call myself an establishment republican given i left my role with the republican party and launched an independent bid. i am advocating for a movement and a new generation of leadership in our country. >> you're no longer a republican? >> i haven't been a republican for many years. i've been a registered independent for as long as i can remember. i'm a conservative. i'm an american first. then i'm a conservative. then i think about party. the republican party has left conservativism. the very principles upon which our great nation was founded. the principles that made it the most powerful open ear fuful on. the truth that all of us are created equal. if the republican party isn't going to be committed to the fact we are all equal and we should have liberty it would not be a place for conservatives like me -- >> so that sai

evan mcmullin is an independent presidential candidate and mindy finn is a vice presidential candidateoth joining us from salt lake city. >> let me begin with you by the numbers, how many states are you on the ballot and how many do you qualify for right in votes and had you try to get to 270 electoral votes. mr. mcmullin: we will appear on the ballot of 11 states and will be registered as a right in in a number of others that will total, including the ballots where we appear on the ballot 43-45 states by election day. the vast majority of americans will be able to cast a vote for us. the reality is reaching 270 votes on november 8 will be very difficult given the fact that we are a three-month residential campaign and as a result of also related circumstances. our strategy is different, that is not our strategy, our strategy is to win as many states as we can in the hopes that if the election is close between hillary clinton and donald trump we could block them both and prevent them also from gaining the majority in the electoral college, that 270 vote threshold and in that case the e

. >> and let me go back to this idea of trumpism, mindy finn, because it is not only donald trump but 13 million voters in the primaries supporting him. he beat out 17 candidates and so there is a base within the gop where the trump message as resonated. what do you say to those voters? >> well, i say that, you know, their frustration, some of it is well founded and been left behind. we have an economy that's transformed due to technology and automation and lost their jobs or facing wage stagnation. the party for too long is more focused on those who write the big checks and not the base and the people voting for them. so that frustration is very real. however, donald trump, while it may be a very loud, bombastic voice, is one that is really just -- is kind of using them for his own political power. he's been a liberal for all of his adult life and more so than that, tearing the country apart and undermining the democracy demeaning hispanics, african-americans, women, people with disabilities. we are now -- we are a country with legitimate reason to distrust institutions and now we ar

up in the polls for months, trump's tape has sparked a moment for mcmullen and his running mate, mindy finne that has them leading in the state, according to at least one recent pull. >> what you'll tell us is you're offering us a glimmer of light. >> a single-state strategy is hardly a recipe for electoral success, but mcmullin's goals are two-fold. first, open the door to this exceedingly unlikely scenario. >> we've said if this race is very, very close between donald trump and hillary clinton, we could block them both. >> reporter: but second, given recent polling, create an alternative for those turned off by trump. >> if hillary clinton is dominating donald trump, what the outcome here in utah and ore states doesn't matter quite as much. we're saying, even in that case, stand on principle, stand for what you know is right, stand for the kind of leadership you would actually like to see in this country and let's build from there. >> phil joins me now. hillary clinton is also close in the polls in utah. what's her team doing out there? >> yeah, that's exactly right. evan mcmullin is not

, donald trump can being dominated right now by hillary clinton and which is one of the reasons mindy finn, my running mate and i nominating him in the first place. but if it isn't close then it will be a strong message i think to washington that people in this country in the mountain west and elsewhere in this country still stand on principle, the very same principles that made this country the most powerful and prosperous on earth, namely, the truth that we are all created equal. all men and women and that we all have inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. mindy and i are standing for >> the top elected officials in the state of utah top republicans there have been critical of donald trump, people like senator mike lee said they will not submit him. mitt romney who did well in utah has said he's against donald trump as well. would a public endorsement from him help you carry this state and where do things stand right now? >> well, right now we're either tied with hillary clinton and donald trump or leading in the polls so we feel very good about where we are. w

and the implication there is that a vote for evan mcmullin and mindy finn is a vote for hillary clinton's your response to the indiana governor? >> i think the trump/pence campaign is concerned about utah and rightly so, because here in utah, voters are standing up and rejecting both hillary clinton and donald trump. they are standing on principle. they are saying that standing up for the rights of all people, men and women, people of all races and every religion and for the constitution is more important than sticking to a party. so i think the trump/pence campaign is rightly scared. the reality is that in utah, there's actually two people who could win. it's evan mcmullin and our ticket and donald trump. right now, we are leading or tied in most of the polls, to the point where the vice presidential candidate with donald trump had to come to this state at a time when if this was another republican who was truly a conservative, that would not be a problem. they would be winning this state. >> right, but evan, you say you win utah, you have six electoral votes. there's no path to victor

. >> evan mcmullin, mindy finn, independent presidential and vice presidential candidates joining us on the campaign in salt lake city, utah. thank you both for being with us and here on c-span. we appreciate it. >> thanks for having us. >> thank you. >>> on election day, november 8th, the nation decides our next president and which party controls the house and senate. stay with c-span for coverage of the presidential race, including campaign stops with hillary clinton, donald trump, and their surrogates. and follow key house and senate races with our coverage of their candidate debates and speeches. c-span, where history unfolds daily. >> tonight, on american history tv primetime, world war ii programs from our reel america series, showing archival films on public affairs. at 8:00 eastern, the 1943 film on the battle of russia followed by a film called "know your ally, britain." at 10:10 eastern, films from 1944. the negro soldier and the hidden war. american history tv in primetime, all this week here on c-span3, while congress is on break. >> after i came up with my idea of reprod