Mark Hamill has picked a side in Utah’s U.S. Senate race — and it’s neither red nor blue.
The actor, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” film franchise, has endorsed independent candidate Evan McMullin in his race against incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee. He will join McMullin on a Zoom call with supporters Thursday.
In a tweet Monday, Hamill, noting he filmed the 2017 comedy-drama film “Brigsby Bear” in the state, said, “I like @EvanMcMullin SO much, it makes me wish I lived in Utah so I could vote for him!”
“I fully endorse Evan McMullin for U.S. Senate. Evan is a force for change at a time when our country desperately needs it,” Hamill said in a news release. “Utah is a great state and deserves far better than Mike Lee. Evan McMullin is the right man for this job — for Utah and for our country.”
Hamill has in years past been outspoken in his opposition to former President Donald Trump. During the 2020 election, a political action committee created by current and former Republicans to defeat Trump, the Lincoln Project, ran ads voiced by Hamill and his “Star Wars” co-star Harrison Ford.
And on Twitter, has repeatedly criticized Trump. Beginning in 2017, he read numerous of the then-president’s tweets in the voice of Batman’s Joker. Hamill dubbed Trump “the Trumpster.”
Trump isn’t the only Republican that Hamill has criticized. In 2012, he took to Twitter to speak out against then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney, calling him a “snake oil salesman.”
After Romney’s votes to convict Trump, Hamill changed his tune on the Republican, tweeting in July that he is “the conscience of the GOP.”
In an August interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, McMullin said he has made connections with a number of celebrities “who come from different political backgrounds, but who share a concern about extremism in American politics,” including Hamill.
Over the course of the Trump presidency, McMullin has formed relationships with celebrities like Hamill as they criticized Trump and his supporters on Twitter.
He stood with comedian Jim Gaffigan on Twitter in criticizing Trump during the 2020 election and appeared on a podcast with Sophia Bush of “One Tree Hill” that same year. Bush congratulated McMullin on his wedding last summer.
“The Force is with us!” McMullin said of Hamill’s endorsement in a statement. “As a huge Star Wars fan, I welcome support from a Jedi in this critical fight. I’m also grateful to Mark for his endorsement in this race — he recognizes how vital it is we bring change to Washington.”
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