<p class="speakable">The Fox News Decision projects that Republican incumbent Mike Lee will hold on in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/elections/senate" _mce_href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/elections/senate" target="_blank">Utah Senate race</a>. He defeats independent candidate Evan McMullin, who also failed in his 2016 presidential bid. &nbsp;</p> <p class="speakable">The Utah Senate election became an unexpectedly tight race as Lee, who was first elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, faced a challenge from former CIA agent and one-time never-Trump presidential candidate Evan McMullin, who ran as an independent.</p> <p>McMullin sought to capitalize on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/utah-debate-mike-lee-evan-mcmullen-spar-jan-6-riot-egregious-betrayal-owe-me-apology" _mce_href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/utah-debate-mike-lee-evan-mcmullen-spar-jan-6-riot-egregious-betrayal-owe-me-apology" target="_blank">anti-Trump sentiment</a>, pointing to the former president's denial of the 2020 election while Lee focused his campaign on tying President Biden to high inflation and the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.</p> <p>Public opinion polls showed Lee ahead of McMullin by anywhere between 5 and 20 points ahead during the midterm election cycle and. And though Lee outraised McMullin, the independent candidate received a boost from tech industry donors late in the race.</p> <p>McMullin promised if he was elected that he would not caucus with either Republicans or Democrats in the Senate, but his campaign paid&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcmullins-campaign-paid-out-over-1-6-million-dem-firms-calling-himself-independent" _mce_href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcmullins-campaign-paid-out-over-1-6-million-dem-firms-calling-himself-independent" target="_blank">Democrat-aligned firms</a>&nbsp;throughout his campaign and he raised funds through the Democratic Party's fundraising organization ActBlue.</p> <p><br></p>