The Handbasket is first to report that Tommy is Thomas Teepell, who, according to his X and Facebook profiles, currently lives in Detroit. Teepell served as Operations Director for Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley until February of this year, according to Legistorm. He then took a job as Political Director for the failed gubernatorial campaign of Philip Sarnecki, a Republican businessman in Kansas.

Tommy’s father is Timmy Teepell, a Republican strategist who worked for congressman and then Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal from 2004 to 2011; he also ran Jindal’s ill-fated presidential primary campaign in 2015. He joined the consulting firm OnMessage in 2011, and helped the virtually unknown Hawley get elected Attorney General of Missouri in 2016. Two years later, he helped Hawley become a United States Senator.

What brought the younger Teepell to the small town of Caro and his viral moment with El-Sayed? An October 2nd story in the University of Michigan student newspaper, The Michigan Daily, revealed that a conservative PAC called America Next offered College Republicans $200 to travel to an upcoming El-Sayed town hall in Flint to “boo” him and ask him inflammatory questions—hoping to spark embarrassing viral moments for the candidate.

(snip)

Furthermore, it turns out America Next is a nonprofit founded by Tommy’s dad’s old boss, Bobby Jindal, in 2013. Jindal still seems involved with the project, appearing as the author or co-author of most of the recent News links on the nonprofit’s website. America Next is also behind an unhinged ad called “Race Wars,” which targets Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Jocelyn Benson.

(snip)

Aside from his strong ties to Jindal and Hawley, Timmy Teepell has a close relationship with Sean Feucht, a Christian Nationalist who rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for opposing lockdowns.