Our Ground Game newsletter editors asked AP’s political reporters across the country who have been covering the midterm elections to pick the top story they’ve worked on this year and take stock of what made it memorable.
Here’s what Madison-based reporter Scott Bauer had to say about a gut instinct that led him to a tiny Wisconsin town on Labor Day:
“When I found out that U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and his Democratic challenger were going to be at the same (really) small town Labor Day parade in western Wisconsin, I knew I had to be there.
The swing district is hotly contested, and Van Orden is known for his sometimes brash and confrontational behavior. I wanted to see what would happen if he crossed paths with the Democrat trying to oust him.
Van Orden’s challenger Rebecca Cooke arrived first and walked the parade route before it started, from the ending point to the start, handing out literature to voters.
A few minutes later, Van Orden rolled up — literally — on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He stayed on that during the parade as Cooke walked the route a second time.
They never ended up bumping into each other. But the fact that both felt the need to campaign for votes in tiny Readstown, Wisconsin, population 376, helped illustrate just how hard fought the race is.”
