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In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy was the architect of a series of investigations into supposed communist influence in the United States, expanding on the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The investigations cost many their livelihoods, and the term “McCarthyism” has since become synonymous with unfounded fearmongering.

What may come as more of a surprise is that McCarthy’s playbook was influenced by another un-American activities committee — in California.

Recently, I spoke to Bill Mabie, who pulled together an expansive digital exhibit for the California secretary of state’s office, detailing the rise of a legislator named Jack Tenney.