Each week, we take a few minutes to respond to some of your calls to our toll-free Scripps News Viewer Hotline.
This week, we loved hearing your feedback about our "Midnight Van to Georgia." Scripps News political director Andrew Rafferty, deputy director Joe St. George and White House correspondent Serena Marshall took you on the campaign trail to follow the candidates and catch up with the voters they're courting on in the lead-up to last night's presidential debate.
Click below to hear what voters had to say when the Scripps News "Midnight Van to Georgia" came through their towns:
However, from what we heard, some of you were hoping they'd make a few more stops.
Jerry from South Carolina said:
"Yes, my name is Jerry Harville. I live in West Columbia, South Carolina, and I was wondering why South Carolina has been wiped off the map. Y'all don't ever say anything about anybody from South Carolina or anything. It's like we don't exist. Your famous van is coming from Washington [D.C.] down to Atlanta and they're talking about going everywhere but South Carolina. Can you tell me why?"
While one person in the crew did campaign for a stop in South Carolina — where his mother lives — the team drove the entire 860-mile route and had to do it in three days, so stops had to be limited and carefully timed. That meant working around scheduled campaign events, as well as storylines.
The route passed through areas we expect will be closely watched leading up to the November election — including bellwether counties and battleground states North Carolina and Georgia. And, of course, we knew the team had to reach Atlanta by Thursday for the first presidential debate of 2024.
Even outside of campaign season, you might have noticed that we do love bringing you stories from places others often overlook.
Stories from across Scripps country:
- Scripps News Tampa — Clubhouse helps heal community residents with mental illness
- Scripps News Phoenix — How will Arizona's near-total ban on abortion be enforced?
- Scripps News San Diego — A look at the world’s largest military concentration
- Scripps News Cleveland — Costco manager's call to a no-show employee might have saved his life
Scripps news reaches more than 90% of American homes, and we're dedicated to bringing everyone the news that matters to them. So while the van is parked for now, we'll continue to bring you comprehensive coverage about national, state and local races through November and beyond.
After all, the path to the White House runs through Scripps country, where Scripps News reporters have lived and worked for decades.
We want to hear more from you. Leave us a message anytime on our toll-free Scripps News Viewer Hotline at 1-833-4-Scripps.
