Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.
As the co-publisher of The Fulcrum it is my responsibility to adhere to the principles of our daily publication.
Our mission states we are “a platform where insiders and outsiders to politics are informed, meet, talk, and act to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives.”
We approach all our news stories with an open and skeptical mind, and with a determination, through research and critical thinking, to acquaint our readers with a wide range of viewpoints.
As best we can, we remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in the opinion pieces we choose to publish.
And while many publications endorse candidates, The Fulcrum has never done so.
With the above in mind it is with great caution and forethought that I announce my personal support for the election of Utah’s Evan McMullin to the Senate. This is not a change in policy for The Fulcrum, which continues to focus on coverage of solutions to the problems plaguing our nations without endorsing any specific ideas or people.
Few deny that our political system is broken. The crippling partisanship and grinding gridlock in Congress that frustrate and anger most Americans must come to an end. However, election after election we vote for candidates who put political parties over the needs of our country. Does anyone really believe virtually every candidate’s promises that they will solve our problems and deliver real solutions to our nation’s problems? To believe so is the definition of insanity. Something must change in the type of people we elect.
Political leadership must change. The sound bite nature of media coverage must change. The very nature of the national dialogue must change. The behavior that people accept from our leaders must change.
And that is why I am supporting Evan McMullin for Senate.
McMullin is a former Republican, now a declared independent and fully backed by the Democratic Party. He says uniting voters across the spectrum is the only way to unseat the incumbent,Trump ally Mike Lee.
"People are sick of the divisiveness," McMullin told People. "We've got mounting challenges in Utah — inflation is worse here than almost anywhere else, air quality is a real challenge especially during the summer, we're running out of water in a historic drought, we've got high cost of health care and on and on. Politics of division and extremism just don't solve them, and people are tired of it."
Our nation is at a crossroads. Now more than ever, when we are locked into a divisive political battle between left and right, we can – and we must – come together to support one thing that unites us all: a belief in the freedom of people to determine their own destiny.
I believe Evan McMullin embodies these principles.
MuMullin is looking for votes from what he calls "principled Republicans," as well as Democrats and, of course, independents. This is not the typical way candidates seek election. McMullin says: "We're building a coalition of Utahns who have not been well represented in Utah or national politics for decades."
He continues: "We listen to each other. That's what's happening here that I don't think is happening anywhere else in the country, but it needs to. Our country will not survive if we don't build a new, sustainable coalition to defend our democracy. Even if it is Pollyanna-ish, it's what we have to do."Typically independent candidates do not succeed because finding a coalition of conservatives, moderates and liberals is a difficult task indeed. "It doesn't mean there aren't tough conversations. We don't agree on everything, and that's okay," McMullin says. He looks for moderate solutions that most people support. He explains, for example, he's a gun owner who believes in "sensible reform." People can enjoy their Second Amendment right and laws can protect against gun violence. "It's not an either-or."
McMullin’s campaign is focused on the vast middle that he believes represents America. While he admits we all don’t agree on the issues "we agree on standing up to the extremes."
Our country needs bold leadership. We need leadership that is direct and honest in public statements and puts ethical commitments above partisan or career objectives. I believe McMullin embodies this principle.
Our country needs leaders who respect all persons, including opponents, and are willing to engage constructively. I believe McMullin embodies this principle.
Our country needs leaders who take full accountability for actions through a willingness to amend one’s positions, learning from one's mistakes, thus resulting in a more constructive approach to problem identification and solutions. I believe McMullin embodies this principle.
Our country needs leaders who always remain open to learning new information and seeking it out through supporting research and analysis that actively broaden one’s horizons. I believe McMullin embodies this principle.
Our country needs leaders who are willing to demonstrate bold leadership by taking political risks if necessary to advance controversial policies, particularly those likely to bring long-term benefits. I believe McMullin embodies this principle.
Only with leaders like Evan McMullin can we defeat the tribalism that separates us as a nation and build bridges and alliances beyond one’s constituency. By adhering to the principles that I believe guide McMullin, and leaders like him, we can build trust and understanding as a nation. "We are at a real crossroads in American history when we have to get back to basics. This coalition is defending what matters most in America and without that we won't solve any other problems in our country," he asserts. "Every generation or two there is a realignment in American politics," McMullin says. "And we need that right now to stand up to those who threaten our democracy.”
I agree.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine.
McConnell and Platner both feel entitled
The two men could not be more different. One, a Republican, octogenarian, seven-term Southern senator, the other a progressive, millennial Maine oysterman who’s never spent a day in elected office.
But Mitch McConnell, the senior senator from Kentucky who’s been MIA for the past few weeks and Graham Platner, the Maine Senate candidate who’s facing calls to drop out of his race against Sen. Susan Collins, apparently do have something in common: an outsized sense of entitlement.
McConnell, who is 84 and not running for reelection, has been hospitalized for three weeks, and yet we still don’t fully know what he was admitted for or what his condition is. Per CNN, “his office has not disclosed a medical reason for the hospitalization or provided specifics on his health status beyond saying last week that he ‘continues to improve’ and ‘is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters.’ ”
While several legislators have said they’ve talked to him and insist he sounds strong, others have said they are completely in the dark. One MAGA influencer, Laura Loomer, posted ”High level source close to the White House tells me ‘Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back.’ ”
Meanwhile, up in Maine, Platner has been artfully dodging calls from his own party to drop out of his race after several allegations of misconduct from women, including a sexual assault allegation from a former girlfriend, came to light. While Platner, who has managed to survive a Nazi-tattoo scandal, a sexting scandal, and several old tweets scandals, denies the allegations, he has not quit.
High-profile Democrats including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer, the latter of whom had unsuccessfully hand-selected Maine Gov. Janet Mills to face Collins instead of Platner, have urged Platner to drop out, while other Dems have accused him of trying to influence the picking of his replacement.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a statement Tuesday, which said in part:
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like. We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate nor in determining what this process looks like.”
Both incidents show a deep lack of accountability to voters, who in one case deserve to know whether their senator is capable of performing his duties, and in another deserve a candidate who isn’t being accused of crimes, bigotry and deception.
The offensive and odious entitlement of both McConnell and Platner stands out not because it is particularly unique among today’s political class. Tom Kean, the New Jersey GOP congressman, missed more than 100 votes, only sharing after a three-month mystery absence that he was dealing with depression.
Former President Joe Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin failed to disclose a hospitalization for prostate cancer surgery, flouting the established rules for Cabinet members and senior U.S. officials.
From Biden’s insistence on running for reelection despite his obvious cognitive and political weaknesses to Trump’s brazen flouting of laws and norms, few politicians seem to appreciate that their public service job comes with responsibilities to constituents, including transparency and honesty.
But both parties increasingly justify the chicanery, because the stakes of winning elections and keeping power are simply too high. But that’s no excuse. If we’ve learned anything over the past decade, it’s that character and accountability do, in fact, matter. And when we, the voters, stop caring about it, well, so do they.
S.E. Cupp is the host of "S.E. Cupp Unfiltered" on CNN.