"Chris Rufo is the latest iteration of a certain sort of person in the Ron DeSantis operation " sicced at the governor's behest to pick a point-scoring fight that generates headlines and left-of-center outrage."

"He's "a right-wing propagandist," in the words of Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Democrat from Maryland. He's "a hired gun for the information wars," in the estimation of rhetoric expert Jen Mercieca.

He's the only child of two attorneys who worked in Sacramento, the son of a father who immigrated from Italy, the spouse of a wife who immigrated from Thailand, a parent of three half-Asian children " and the biggest single reason critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion have been turned into the toxic, ubiquitous and politically potent acronyms of CRT and DEI."