Anti-Trump conservative enters White House race

Evan McMullin, 40, is expected to file for president later in the day, telling ABC News in a statement that “it’s never too late to do the right thing, and America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us”.

Joe Scarborough, a former GOP congressman from Florida and host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, was first to report the pending announcement.

The third-party candidacy could also backfire, stoking anti-establishment sentiment and rallying Republicans behind Mr Trump.

He was born in Utah, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from Brigham Young Universityand studied a Master’s of Business Administration from the prestigious Wharton.

McMullin has frequently chastised Trump’s authoritarian manner on social media, while slamming his position on civil rights, as well as his refusal to release his tax returns. McMullin’s strategy likely will be to target Republicans in red states still on the fence about a Trump presidency.

McMullin has used his Twitter account to express outrage at Republican nominee Donald Trump. They are also reportedly prepared to give legal cover in states like Texas, where he might have to sue to get on the ballot at such a late stage in the election. Last year, he joined the Republican Conference, which serves as a communications platform for Republican representatives, as chief policy director.

McMullin served in the national clandestine service at the Central Intelligence Agency for 11 years, ending in 2010, where he managed clandestine operations related to counterterrorism and other issues. ABC News reported he’s being supported by Better for America, an organization that’s spent weeks “building a campaign-in-waiting, clearing the way for a principled, credible, worthy candidate to step forward”, according to its website.

The states have different deadlines but Scarborough said McMullin would aim to get on the ballot in between 20 and 30 states.

In a New York Daily News op-ed published Sunday, Wilson implored America to “beat Trump like a drum” in order to squash Trump supporters from believing his worldview could prevail in the U.S.

The anti-Trump ferment continues inside the Republican Party amidst the launch on Monday of an independent presidential bid by a little-known conservative activist and a parallel grassroots effort to force party officers to draft a replacement nominee.