Mmm, leftovers.

It’s one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.

Sometimes they also come from news interviews.

Here are some leftover things I discussed with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson that didn’t make it into last Sunday’s article.

Because of congressional redistricting, Johnson, R-Marietta, will run for re-election next year in a new 6th District that will include all of Mahoning and Trumbull counties — assuming the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the Republican-drawn map.

Johnson first was elected to the U.S. House in 2010 and has represented portions of Mahoning County since then.

But this is a significant change for him. Mahoning and Trumbull would be, by far, the two most-populous counties in the district, making up 55 percent of its residents.

The rest of the district includes all of Columbiana, Jefferson, Carroll, Belmont, Noble and Monroe counties and all but four townships in Washington County.

“There’s only two directions I could grow: west and north,” he said. “To my west you had a lot of other members who had to grow. That put a twist on the notch. I had a strong inclination it would be north.”

Johnson admits he was surprised fellow Republicans gave him Trumbull County in addition to Mahoning. The latter was expected.

Trumbull has become more Republican in recent years with 2020 being a very good year for the party in the county. However, that was with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.

It’s debatable if Trumbull residents will be enthusiastic to vote Republican next year with Gov. Mike DeWine at the top of the ballot, provided he wins the GOP primary.

On the flip side, Democrats aren’t likely to come out in droves next year with either Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley or Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley as their gubernatorial candidate.

Also, no Democrat has announced plans to run for attorney general, treasurer, auditor or for two of the Supreme Court justice seats. Those races rarely interest voters, but Democrats are killing even the most remote of chances of winning the seats.

The Feb. 2 filing deadline is just around the corner.

Johnson said he is excited about his new district and says of the people in Mahoning and Trumbull counties: “We share common values, and I’m going to work hard every day to earn their respect. People want good-paying jobs, want to work for a livable wage, opportunities for their children and grandchildren.”

Johnson said many things are exciting about the Mahoning Valley, including additive manufacturing, growth of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna — he spent 25 years in the Air Force — and research work at Youngstown State University and expectations of job growth at various Lordstown locations.

He added: “If you’re a responsible, hardworking representative and you treat people with respect, you are effective.”

I asked Johnson about Trump and the former president’s false claims that he won the election last year because widespread voter fraud was ignored.

Johnson said there “were states that made mistakes, serious ones,” but Democrat Joe Biden is the president.

While stating the obvious about Biden’s presidency, for some Republican Trump loyalists, Johnson saying Trump isn’t president is a litmus test.

Johnson said: “There were states where the elected officials admitted they violated their state laws” and “there were voting irregularities.”

Johnson was among the 126 Republican House members who signed a legal brief in support of a failed lawsuit filed with the U.S. Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election and voted with Trump 96.8 percent of the time, according to a tracking of congressional votes.

He’s a solid Trump supporter, but he’s also a realist.

“Clearly, Joe Biden won the election — that’s why he’s sitting in the White House,” Johnson said.

While all but one of the nonjudicial elected county positions in both Mahoning and Trumbull are held by Democrats, voters in both have backed Republicans for the state Legislature and for statewide offices. Also, Trump won Trumbull in 2016 and 2020. He nearly won Mahoning in 2016 and beat Biden there last year.

The two counties are significantly less blue than they were six years ago.

This new district is considered a safe Republican one.

Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti is considering running as Democratic candidate in the new 6th District. Several other prominent Democrats are taking a pass.

dskolnick@vindy.com