Remember when GOP candidate for governor Jeff Johnson said he was not a Tea Party extremist, in those exact words? When Johnson denied seeking Tea Party support and even claimed he did not ask?

Well, today, the issue is settled. Jeff Johnson is in fact a member of the Tea Party (in case you had any doubt). Johnson recently attended and spoke at a Tea Party event.

.@MNJeffJohnson at Tea Party event tonight: “I think the Tea Party is main stream conservative.” Last year: “I am not a Tea Party extremist”

— politics.mn (@politicsdotmn) March 25, 2015

 

Not only is Johnson a supporter of the Tea Party, but he also thinks it’s mainstream conservative, meaning not a fringe group.

This is particularly interesting since many at the national level are speculating that the Tea Party may soon officially become its own Party due to its vast differences with the Republican Party.

The Associated Press writes:

Robin Lauermann, a political scientist at Messiah College, thinks the “war” Huelskamp speaks of will eventually lead to an open split between tea party Republicans and their more mainstream party colleagues.

That same article concludes:

That reality will leave the tea party more isolated as Republicans look forward to the 2016 presidential contest.

Johnson’s recent comments are completely out of touch with the political realities the country and Minnesota are facing. But, remember, this is coming from the guy who sought Tea Party support, called himself a Tea Partier, then denied ever doing any of that only months before a statewide election.

So the next time Jeff johnson claims he’s not a Tea Partier, we can point at this, as well as all the evidence he claimed didn’t exist.