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In rural Wisconsin, politics goes from handshakes to hot takes online
Salon reports that candidates and campaigns in rural Wisconsin are balancing old-fashioned voter meetings with an increasingly strange online scene ahead of the elections; Gary has opinions.
Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN This Morning at 7:47 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Salon.com's, the jokes are ours.
From the show
- Hot Take or Not
“My take is that the winless teams get an A for attendance. They show up every single Sunday.”Vera Bullock▶ Full · 0:47NFL Report Cards: Winless Teams Get an A for AttendanceHot Take or Not · - Hot Take or Not
“That is NOT hot, Vera, that is room temperature with a ribbon on it.”Chip Darnell▶ Full · 0:47Ohio State at Indiana: Hot Takes Rated Room TemperatureHot Take or Not ·
At a glance
- First reported by Salon.com: “In rural Wisconsin, politics is still about meeting voters. Online, it’s getting weird”.
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:47 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock.
- Topics: Wisconsin.
- BBN covered this story before: UCLA loses star QB to season-ending injury ahead of Wisconsin matchup (October 13).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIn rural Wisconsin, politics is still mostly about meeting voters in person, at diners, fairs and front porches, but Salon reports that the online version is getting weird.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo the county fair has gone digital, and the candidates are shaking hands with phones.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPhones don't vote.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNo, but they do leave comments, Hank, and I'm told some of them are about pie.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA candidate can knock on a hundred doors in a day, or post one video and hear from a man named Gary, who is somehow in every group chat.
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- In rural Wisconsin, politics goes from handshakes to hot takes online (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months







