John,
Last week, after three weeks of infighting, House Republicans finally elected a Speaker of the House they could all agree on: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Never heard of him? We hadn’t really either. So we did a little digging. And it turns out he’s everything you might expect — and worse.
Every single Republican member of Congress voted to embrace an election denier, anti-abortion fanatic, anti-LGBTQ+ bigot, and all-around Trump enabler and MAGA extremist as their new leader.
But he’s also one of the least-well known people ever to be elevated to Speaker of the House.
We know we can’t rely on the media to educate voters — it’s going to be up to us to make sure voters know exactly what they’re getting if they vote for Republican candidates for Congress next year. Can you chip in to help us reach voters in key districts, elect progressive champions, and put an end to this dysfunctional Republican majority in Congress in 2024?
Contribute $10 »
Here are just some of the things we’ve learned about Mike Johnson over the last week:
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He referred to abortion as a “holocaust” and "linked the judicial philosophy that legalized the right to an abortion to Hitler."1
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He played a central role in efforts to help Trump overturn the will of the voters leading up to the January 6th insurrection.2
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He claimed same-sex marriage would lead to people marrying their pets.3
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He co-sponsored a nationwide abortion ban, and worked at the right-wing organization now leading the charge to ban Mifepristone.4
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He wanted to sentence abortion providers to “hard labor” after Roe v. Wade was overturned.5
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He’s blamed school shootings on abortion.6
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He’s also blamed school shootings on the teaching of evolution.7
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He’s repeatedly given voice to far-right conspiracy theories like the “great replacement” theory.8
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He’s championed “don’t say gay” bills.9
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He’s called LGBTQ+ people “sinful” and “destructive.”10
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And just last week he responded to the latest mass shooting in Maine by saying the problem isn’t guns, it’s “the human heart.”11
That’s just the beginning of what we are learning about someone who has been called “the least vetted Speaker in modern history.”
And you can rest assured we’re going to learn a whole lot more before Election Day 2024.
We aren’t about to let incumbent Republican members of Congress in key districts avoid accountability for empowering an anti-democracy, anti-abortion extremist.
You can help us fight back by making a contribution so we can recruit, support, and elect more Working Families champions to Congress in 2024 — and take back Congress from the most extreme far-right Speaker of the House in our lifetime.
Contribute $10 »
In solidarity,
Team WFP
