While Democrats had voluminous opposition research files sitting around on Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Tom Emmer, it’s been manifestly obvious that Democrats were not looking at Johnson at all and their opposition research operation has had to kick into overdrive to figure out who the hell he is and how the hell to attack him. This feels a tad like how, in 2008 when I was at the RNC, only six of us out of fifty-some staffers between Comms, e-Campaign (don’t laugh, that’s what we called it then!) and Research thought Obama would be the nominee as of the night before the Iowa caucuses. (Quick plug for Mair Strategies: A full 1/3 of the “Obama will be the nominee” team work at this firm!). Obama won and suddenly, the other 44+ staffers were like “shit, we know nothing about this dude except he has a funny-sounding name and he’s from Hawaii but he doesn’t represent Hawaii and he doesn’t appear to be ethnically Hawaiian.”

Democrats are now a little behind the 8-ball, and they are scrambling to figure out how to attack this guy. Mostly what they’ve come up with so far as that this guy looks like a pretty hard-right dude in the mold of a Ted Cruz (he does).

Like Cruz, and (most) hardcore conservatives, Johnson threw his lot in with Trump especially in 2020, but he’s not really MAGA— he’s more hardcore Tea Party from circa 2010 or 2014.

[This is an excellent and nuanced primer on the new Speaker. I have skipped over Liz’ delight at the joke opportunities that have now opened up, but you should read them because Liz and I have about the same sense of humor and maturity level. One disclaimer: I am NOT the ‘Ed’ to whom Liz refers, but now I kind of wish I were. — Ed]