Utah’s Mike Lee Refused Fox News Debate Against Challenger Evan McMullin

Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images

Republican Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) refused an offer to debate independent challenger Evan McMullin on Fox News, a national platform most GOP leaders crave, according to a new report from The Salt Lake Tribune.

The Tribune reported on Wednesday that “Fox News host Bret Baier contacted both the Lee and McMullin campaigns the same week the two men took the stage for the U.S. Senate debate sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission. Baier’s team proposed bringing the Special Report with Bret Baier program to Utah on Nov. 1.”

The McMullin campaign told the Tribune “they spoke with Baier and his production staff several times about the offer, agreeing to a second debate with Lee during a phone call with Baier on Oct. 21. Later that same day, Baier called back to inform McMullin that Lee had declined, the campaign said.”

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to Mediaite that McMullin did indeed accept the offer for a debate or town hall event while Lee refused. Candidates for U.S. Senate in Ohio, J.D. Vance and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) will debate on Fox News on Nov. 1st in a town hall moderated by Baier and Martha MacCallum.

RealClearPolitics on Wednesday shifted Utah’s senate race from “Likely GOP” to “Leans GOP” as McMullin has gained in the polls. Lee currently leads by an average of 5 points, 42 to 37 percent.

McMullin has run a tough campaign trying to tie Lee to former President Donald Trump and his schemes to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which are not widely embraced by Republicans in deep-red Utah.