Democrats see Wisconsin as their best chance to unseat an incumbent Republican senator. But Sen. Ron Johnson has managed to close the gap with Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes by linking him to rising crime in ads aimed at suburban voters.This episode: political reporter Deepa Shivaram, political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and WUWM reporter Chuck Quirmbach.Learn more about upcoming live shows of The NPR Politics Podcast at nprpresents.org.Support the show and unlock sponsor-free listening with a subscription to The NPR Politics Podcast Plus. Learn more at plus.npr.org/politics Connect:Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.orgJoin the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Mandela Barnes and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler join Jon, Jon, and guest host Erin Ryan live in Wisconsin! Donald Trump prepares for a possible indictment this week with a few more potentially on the way. Judge Janet Protasiewicz stops by to discuss her campaign to be Wisconsin’s next state Supreme Court Justice. Plus, Lovett quizzes Jon, Erin, Mandela, and Ben on all things Wisconsin in a game called Truth or Dairy. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Victoria Vincent, Mandela Barnes, Fran Hong, and Thomas Lennon discuss the far right, critique on Frank Lloyd Wrong, finding the plot, and finish off with The Cheese Wheel in a live show from Madison, WI!