This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Political insiders fret Trump not accepting the election results. Poll: McMullin in the lead in Utah. Clinton plans to ramp up push to win the Beehive State.

Happy Thursday. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's comments that he's not sure whether he'll accept the results of the election — a first for a major-party nominee in America in modern times — has shocked many across the country. And GOP insiders say such talk is really doing him in. 'Apple pie, baseball, democracy. As an American, there are some basic things you should defend and stand up for,' says one critic. [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/donald-trump-accept-election-mistake-230072?lo=ap_c1">Politico</a>]

<strong>Topping the news: </strong>An Emerson College poll released Wednesday shows independent latecomer Evan McMullin has managed to pull ahead of the two major party nominees at 31 percent in Utah; Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are trailing behind the latecomer at 27 and 24 percent, respectively. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4485415-155/evan-mcmullin-takes-the-lead-in?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665163/GOP-Utah-lawmakers-endorse-Evan-McMullin-for-president.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2016/10/19/new-poll-shows-evan-mcmullin-beating-trump-clinton-in-utah/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/evan-mcmullin-leading-among-utah-voters-in-latest-poll"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]

-> The Clinton Campaign says it will ramp up staff, increase ad spending and send surrogates to Utah — freshly declared battleground state — in the remaining weeks of the election. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4486284-155/hillary-clintons-team-says-it-will"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2016/10/19/utahs-now-a-battleground-state-and-hillary-clinton-plans-to-put-more-resources-into-winning-it/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]

-> Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch don't stand behind Sen. John McCain's remark that Senate Republicans would block any Supreme Court justice nominated by a potential President Clinton. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4484025-155/hatch-lee-say-they-would-not"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

<strong>Tweets of the day: </strong>From @<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSerwer"; target="_blank">AdamSerwer</a>: "Looks like Utah is McMullin over whether to vote Trump."

From @<a href="https://twitter.com/alivitali"; target="_blank">alivitali</a>: "Trump says SCOTUS is what it's all about. And here I've been thinking all this time it was the hokey-pokey. I'll see myself out."

From @<a href="https://twitter.com/DamienFahey"; target="_blank">DamienFahey</a>: "Hombres. Well, it's official. Trump is the guy who orders at a Mexican restaurant and then says, 'Gracias' to the server."

<strong>Happy Birthday: </strong>to former Rep. Chris Cannon and BYU distinguished professor of political science, David Magleby.

<strong>In other news: </strong>Rep. Jason Chaffetz defends himself on the debate stage Wednesday night against Stephen Tryon's jabs at whether he represents his district or basks in the media spotlight as House Oversight Committee chairman. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4485845-155/rep-jason-chaffetz-more-interested-in?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665200/Chaffetz-Tryon-clash-over-presidential-candidates-cyber-security.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/congressional-debate-gets-heated-over-national-issues"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://kuer.org/post/little-disagreement-some-controversy-during-third-congressional-district-debate#stream/0"; target="_blank">KUER</a>] [<a href="http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/rd-congressional-district-debate-highlights-chaffetz-tryon-differences-in-policy/article_cb7d494e-8b52-5562-a934-fbdad43d4f9e.html"; target="_blank">Herald</a>]

-> Gov. Gary Herbert posted four state school board endorsements on his website Wednesday. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4485965-155/gov-herbert-endorses-four-utah-school"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> A concerned Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has ordered a review of the economic impact on projects stripped of parts of their budgets by the City Council Tuesday night to fund the construction of affordable housing. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4486365-155/biskupski-says-slc-council-reckless-in?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> The Utah Legislature looks like it will take another shot at legalizing medical marijuana next year, but perhaps take a slower, research-based approach. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4484839-155/medical-marijuana-whats-the-right-dosage?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665189/ER-physician-urges-fellow-lawmakers-to-consider-funding-medical-marijuana-research-in-Utah.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-legislators-weigh-medical-marijuana"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>] [<a href="http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/utah-legislators-set-to-discuss-medical-marijuana/article_f39b8963-4166-5ffc-9062-bcecdcd301b3.html"; target="_blank">APviaHerald</a>]

-> Freshly picked members of the Indigent Defense Commission, created by the legislature earlier this year, reported to the judiciary interim committee Wednesday on the group's first agenda items: distributing $1.5 million to counties in need and collecting statewide data about how cities and counties handle public defenders. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4484365-155/with-its-members-selected-the-indigent"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> Utah lawmakers hinted at 2017 bills that would re-write how the embattled Utah Transit Authority board is chosen at a Transportation Interim Committee hearing Wednesday. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4484504-155/state-lawmakers-considering-changing-how-uta"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> Republican and a Democratic state senators have presented competing bill proposals to add to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's lacking budget. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4485875-155/utah-lawmakers-consider-extra-funding-for"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> State Sen. Curt Bramble says he will draft legislation in 2017 that addresses the "plurality problem" his SB54 caused when it allowed multiple candidates to get on the primary ballot by gathering signatures. Possible solutions include a runoff election if the most popular candidate doesn't clear a 35-percent-of-the-vote bar. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4486366-155/utah-could-see-primary-runoffs-under"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> Four finalists vying for the position of president of Utah State University were announced Wednesday. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4484384-155/four-finalists-announced-for-position-of"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> The Bureau of Land Management decided this week to deny Utah environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams the two leases she paid for in February because of her outspoken plans not to develop her plots of land for oil and gas. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4467584-155/blm-pulls-back-oil-and-gas?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

-> The State School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration held an auction Wednesday that sold off parcels of Utah land and brought in $5.5 million. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4485146-155/hunters-conservation-groups-decry-privatization-of?page=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865665177/Auction-nets—for-Utah-schools-sells-off-part-of-land-in-Bears-Ears-struggle.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]

-> Pat Bagley offers his take on how Utah's election is going. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/4486205-155/bagley-cartoon-not-voting-is-voting"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]

<strong>Nationally:</strong> The lastest CNN electoral map bumped Utah from "solid Republican" status to "battleground." [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/19/politics/road-to-270-electoral-college-map-5-october/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN</a>]

-> Donald Trump refused to say he would uphold a proud American tradition and accept the election results at Wednesday night's presidential debate, keeping the country in suspense. [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/debate-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-230003"; target="_blank">Politico</a>] [<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/us/politics/presidential-debate.html?_r=0"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-wont-commit-to-accepting-election-results-if-he-loses/2016/10/19/9c9672e6-9609-11e6-bc79-af1cd3d2984b_story.html"; target="_blank">WaPost</a>]

-> Hillary Clinton fired shots of her own at the debate, insinuating that Trump would be a "puppet" of Vladimir Putin as president and blaming the Russians for feeding into hacks targeting the Democrats this election. [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/19/politics/clinton-puppet-vladimir-putin-trump/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.wsj.com/video/clinton-calls-trump-a-puppet-for-russia-putin/2FA3097E-83FC-4D4A-BE0F-A6E06250A9D6.html"; target="_blank">WSJ</a>]

<strong>Where are they?</strong>

<ul>

<li>Gov. Gary <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/GovHerbert"; target="_blank">Herbert</a></strong> makes an appearance at the UEA Convention.</li>

<li>State Auditor John <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong>has breakfast with Salt Lake County Auditor Scott Tingley and chats with the Utah Highway Patrol.</li>

<li>President Barack <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama"; target="_blank">Obama</a> </strong>flies to Miami to speak about accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act, address the crowd at a Hillary for America campaign event and participate in a Democratic Governors Association roundtable before returning to Washington.</li>

</ul>

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— Thomas Burr and Zoe Woolf McGinn

<a title="Thomas Burr" href="https://twitter.com/thomaswburr"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/zoewmcginn"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/zoewmcginn</a>