There’s been a lot of fretting about exactly how jubilant conservatives should be over Scott Brown’s election. Sure, his election may spike health care legislation — but the Senate has just inherited a Pro-Choice Northeastern Republican who may buck the party on a number of issues going forward.

It’s clear that Scott Brown is no Jim DeMint, and it remains to be seen how Brown will assert his independence after repeatedly asserting he wasn’t beholden to Washington interests in the campaign. But there’s evidence that Brown is much more conservative than your typical Northeastern Republican.