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Evan McMullin Could Change This Election

by Emily Shire

On Monday morning, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough reported via Twitter than Evan McMullin is expected to run for president as an independent candidate. The Morning Joe host tweeted "multiple sources" had told him that McMullin would launch an independent run. But who is McMullin, this little-known prospective presidential candidate who could be an election gamechanger?

According to his LinkedIn profile, McMullin is Chief Policy Director at the U.S. House of Representatives for the Republican Conference. He was an operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1999 to 2010. During that time, he also volunteered as a refugee resettlement officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for under a year. He also worked at Goldman Sachs for three years, and earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

McMullin also appears to have a sense of humor. Prior to attending Brigham Young University for his bachelor's degree, he worked as a deckhand for a commercial fishing vessel. On LinkedIn, he wrote of his experience, "I mostly just did my best not to fall in as we sailed the Alaskan seas." He also served as a missionary in Brazil.

However, at least one significant experience McMullin appears to lack is leading an election campaign. Although he has an extensive resume in government services, McMullin has never held public office.