A former CIA agent running for president as an independent filed papers Monday in the hopes of getting his name on the ballot in nine states.


Evan McMullin, the former House Republican Conference policy director, entered the race earlier this month as a Republican alternative to GOP nominee Donald Trump. But he's now set to appear as an independent on eight out of a possible 14 ballots: Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Utah, Minnesota, Arkansas, Idaho and Virginia. He failed to submit the required number of signatures in California, Montana, Alabama and Tennessee.

But on Monday, he turned in 5,000 signatures to the Wyoming secretary of state in the hopes of getting on the ballot in that state as well.

McMullin will go up against Trump, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson in the general election. He polls better in a five-way race than just against Clinton and Trump.