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class="styl_ntaer__ZKkl3" data-activy-map="social-share-lks-article-top" data-ttid="social-share-menu"><li data-ttid="social-share-facebook" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_facebook__bOW_X"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-facebook"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-twter" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_twter__ww7sF"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-ptert" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_ptert__CaMm1"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-ptert"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-email" class="styl_em__b5A78"><a href="mailto:?subject=The Senate's fight over same-sex marriage may hge on Wisns's senators, who don't agree on much& target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-email"></span></a></li><li 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UTC</time></div><div class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Stt Wong</a></span> and <span class="byle-name">Frank Thorp V</span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">The Senate ph to enshre feral protectns for same-sex marriage has land Wisns’s two senators — liberal Tammy Baldw, the first openly gay senator history, and nservative Ron Johnson, who fac a tough re-electn bid this fall and has waffled on the issue — the spotlight.</p><p class="">There was a pot months ago when appeared the two — who typilly shun the media — uld agree on somethg else, too, when Johnson left the door open to supportg Baldw’s same-sex marriage legislatn.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">But sce then, what's been a challengg relatnship has grown all the more ght — even as Baldw remas optimistic that she n ultimately get him on board. And terviews wh both senators show a stra.</p><p class="">Asked how she would characterize her relatnship wh Johnson, Baldw gave a bare-bon scriptn. “We’re both senators om Wisns and there’s thgs we need to get done, but anyways — that’s all," she said as she end the terview.</p><p class="">Baldw has been leadg the legislative effort, teamg wh Sen. San Colls, R-Mae, to try to ensure that the Supreme Court don’t roll back the nstutnal rights to gay and terracial marriage, as did to <a href=" target="_blank">abortn rights</a> early this summer.</p><p class="">The bipartisan duo say they have drafted promise language to addrs ncerns om nservativ who have warned that the Rpect for Marriage Act uld ge on relig liberty or allow polygamo marriag. But the amendment hasn’t been unveiled yet or shared privately wh Senate lleagu. </p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">It’s a big reason a handful of Republins like Johnson are unwillg to say where they stand on the issue and why Baldw and Colls haven’t been able to nail down the 10 GOP vot they need to feat a promised filibter.</p><p class="">Baldw, 60, a former unty official, state legislator and U.S. Hoe member, has dited that she has secured at least five GOP vot, cludg those om members who have publicly stated that they support the bill, like Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carola and Rob Portman of Oh. Portman’s son is openly gay.</p><p class="">And Baldw believ a handful of others — cludg her Wisns seatmate, Johnson, 67 — are gettable. </p><p class="">“We’re still hopg,” she said. </p><p class="">The issue has put Johnson, the most vulnerable Senate Republin this cycle, a tough spot his race agast progrsive Democratic Lt. Gov. Manla Barn, the first Black person to hold the job. More than 70% of Amerins back same-sex marriage, and polls have shown Barn wh a slight lead over Johnson, a Donald Tmp ally, even though he has the power of cumbency as he seeks a third six-year term.</p><p class="">“He’s a disgrace and don’t believe protectg our rights and eedoms. He’s unf for public office,” Barn <a href=">tweeted</a> rponse to a story last week that Johnson had flip-flopped on same-sex marriage.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">The issue has also highlighted Baldw and Johnson’s chilly relatnship, which has only grown lr sce same-sex marriage me to the foreont the Senate. </p><p class="">Johnson, a nservative bomb thrower swept to the Senate the tea party wave of 2010, has acced Baldw of “leakg” to The <a href=">New York Tim</a> a text msage exchange between the two after he ially exprsed an openns to supportg her bill to protect same-sex marriage. </p><p class="">He has sce said that he oppos the bill s current form and that the Supreme Court se legalizg same-sex marriage was “<a href=">wrongly cid</a>.” </p><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><p class="">“She texted me one time, and then she leaked the text to The New York Tim, so that’s not a good way to al wh a fellow senator,” Johnson said Tuday. “It’s the first time somebody’s actually leaked my texts. … We’ve been rdial, but aga, I’ve never leaked texts between senators. It’s jt the improper thg to do.”</p><p class="">While the legislatn's backers haven’t secured the 10 vot, Majory Lear Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vows to prs forward on an issue that Democrats believe will give them a boost the g midterms. If Schumer fil cloture on the bill Thursday, would likely set up a key procral vote on the bill early next week at the 60-vote thrhold.</p><p class="">Baldw said has been “a while” sce she spoke to Johnson about the legislatn. But she said she thks he might be among the “y” vot when the bill to the floor. </p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">"I thk he will be. I thk he might be, given the number of thgs I’ve read and a number of the people who are reachg out” to Johnson, Baldw said the hallway terview. </p><p class="">She add that some supporters of the bill had been “assigned” to reach out to Johnson. She wouldn’t name nam: “I’m not gog to share that level of tail.”    </p><p class="">Colls said she hadn’t recently spoken wh Johnson, eher.</p><p class="">Neher Johnson nor Baldw urt the media the halls. The gff Johnson, who ran a plastic manufacturg bs before he arrived the Senate, has never appeared to enjoy sparrg wh reporters like some of his other GOP lleagu. Baldw is often scribed as pole and soft-spoken, and spe her history-makg electn 2012, she rarely seeks the limelight. </p><p class="">The days, however, reporters have been houndg both about the same-sex marriage issue.</p><p class="">“I actually listen to nstuents,” Johnson said the terview. “There are some very legimate ncerns about relig liberty, and those ncerns would have to be properly addrsed.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">“I thk people are” workg on an amendment, he said, “but ’s got to provi very strong protectns.”</p><p class="">Colls, who has been tasked wh helpg to round up GOP support, said she’s also “hopeful” they n get to 10.</p><p class="endmark">“But as I said, you never know until the roll is lled.”</p></div><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Stt Wong</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Stt Wong is a senr ngrsnal reporter for NBC News. </p></div></div><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name">Frank Thorp V</span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter verg Congrs for NBC News, managg verage of the Senate.</p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxrail" 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wisconsin gay senator

The Senate ph to enshre feral protectns for same-sex marriage has land Wisns’s two senators — liberal Tammy Baldw, the first openly gay senator

Contents:

WISNS’S TAMMY BALDW IS FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON ELECTED TO SENATE

Tammy Baldw ma history Tuday night – twice. She beme the first openly gay polician, and first Wisns woman, elected to the U.S. Senate. * wisconsin gay senator *

Her advocy me durg a perd when even her own party was divid over gay 2008, she found the Congrsnal LGBTQ+ Equaly Cc along wh Rep.

TAMMY BALDW, WHO IS GAY, NONTED MAR RUB ABOUT LLG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE VOTE A ‘STUPID WASTE OF TIME’

Wisns voters chose the Obama ticket over their own native son Pl Ryan. And the state is sendg the first openly gay senator to Washgton: Tammy Baldw feated former Governor Tommy Thompson for the seat of retirg Senator Herb Kohl. * wisconsin gay senator *

Baldw is currently phg legislatn to dify the right to gay marriage. NEW: Tammy Baldw one of at least 118 succsful gay and lbian ndidat this electn. She beme the first openly gay polician, and first Wisns woman, elected to the U.

Baldw was one of many succsful gay and lbian ndidat lol and state rac this electn cycle, which also clud her succsor her legislative district Madison, state Rep. At least 118 gay and lbian ndidat won their rac as of Wednday, acrdg to polil actn mtee Victory Fund, which supports gay and lbian ndidat.

“This is a big day for gay women Ameri, and really, for all muni who aren’t the typil straight, whe, wealthy men elected to Congrs, ” she said. There has never been an openly gay or lbian member of the U. Baldw is one of four openly gay Hoe members of the 112 U.

WIS. ELECTS FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON TO U.S. SENATE

Wisns Democratic Reprentative Tammy Baldw ma history on Tuday wh her electn to bee the first openly gay U.S. Senator, featg former Governor Tommy Thompson the most expensive Senate race state history. * wisconsin gay senator *

“For the LGBT person growg up Wisns or anywhere across the untry, seeg an openly gay woman who is able to rise up to bee a senator the U. “We’re eager to have her move om one si of the Capol to another and take a seat the chamber as the first openly gay person.

To those watchg the race, was no surprise that Wisns, a state that approved a gay marriage ban six years ago, would send the first openly gay polician to the Senate. Before Harvey Milk, Jam Yeadon was elected to public officeJam Yeadon beme the first openly gay man to be elected to public office  1976, he beat 13 other ndidat a special electn for Madison's 8th Alrmanic District.

WISNS'S BALDW BE FIRST OPENLY GAY SENATOR

Congrswoman Tammy Baldw is the first openly gay ndidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate. But advot say the fact her sexual orientatn wasn't part of the mpaign is the real signal of change. * wisconsin gay senator *

Yeadon me out publicly as gay the next day, and  April 1977, he won months later, famed gay-rights activist Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francis Board of Supervisors. While Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office California, Yeadon and several others ma history across the natn before Milk me to office.

TAMMY BALDW WS WISNS, BEG THE FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. SENATOR

Baldw ma history 2012 when she beme the first out gay senator the natn and the first woman senator om Wisns. * wisconsin gay senator *

Milwkee had s own versn of Stonewall, eight years earlierIn 1961, four ebriated servicemen cid to check out Milwkee's most popular gay bar, on a dare. It also tablished a Pflag chapter, a support group for parents, fai and alli of lbians and gays.

SENATE W IN WIS. A 'TURNG POT' FOR GAY RIGHTS

Tammy Baldw, Amerin polician who was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate 2012 and began reprentg Wisns that body the followg year; she was the first openly gay senator. Baldw prevly served the U.S. Hoe of Reprentativ (1999–2013). * wisconsin gay senator *

This Is It, one of Milwkee's beloved gay bars, is one of the olst the untryThis Is It, ntled the heart of Milwkee's downtown on East Wells Street, is one of the top 10 olst gay bars the natn and the olst LGBTQ bar Wisns. Wisns was the first state to have three openly LGBTQ elected officialsWisns was the first state the natn to elect three openly gay members of the U. Gunrson was the first openly gay member of the Republin Party to be reelected to Congrs after beg unwillgly outed.

Dpe this, and the GOP's tradnal opposn to gay rights, Gunrson was re-elected that same year. Milwkee has been dubbed an 'unrappreciated gay Mec'LGBTQ magaze "The Advote" shone a spotlight on Milwkee 2016.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WISCONSIN GAY SENATOR

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UTC</time></div><div class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Stt Wong</a></span> and <span class="byle-name">Frank Thorp V</span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">The Senate ph to enshre feral protectns for same-sex marriage has land Wisns’s two senators — liberal Tammy Baldw, the first openly gay senator history, and nservative Ron Johnson, who fac a tough re-electn bid this fall and has waffled on the issue — the spotlight.</p><p class="">There was a pot months ago when appeared the two — who typilly shun the media — uld agree on somethg else, too, when Johnson left the door open to supportg Baldw’s same-sex marriage legislatn.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">But sce then, what's been a challengg relatnship has grown all the more ght — even as Baldw remas optimistic that she n ultimately get him on board. And terviews wh both senators show a stra.</p><p class="">Asked how she would characterize her relatnship wh Johnson, Baldw gave a bare-bon scriptn. “We’re both senators om Wisns and there’s thgs we need to get done, but anyways — that’s all," she said as she end the terview.</p><p class="">Baldw has been leadg the legislative effort, teamg wh Sen. San Colls, R-Mae, to try to ensure that the Supreme Court don’t roll back the nstutnal rights to gay and terracial marriage, as did to <a href=" target="_blank">abortn rights</a> early this summer.</p><p class="">The bipartisan duo say they have drafted promise language to addrs ncerns om nservativ who have warned that the Rpect for Marriage Act uld ge on relig liberty or allow polygamo marriag. But the amendment hasn’t been unveiled yet or shared privately wh Senate lleagu. </p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">It’s a big reason a handful of Republins like Johnson are unwillg to say where they stand on the issue and why Baldw and Colls haven’t been able to nail down the 10 GOP vot they need to feat a promised filibter.</p><p class="">Baldw, 60, a former unty official, state legislator and U.S. Hoe member, has dited that she has secured at least five GOP vot, cludg those om members who have publicly stated that they support the bill, like Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carola and Rob Portman of Oh. Portman’s son is openly gay.</p><p class="">And Baldw believ a handful of others — cludg her Wisns seatmate, Johnson, 67 — are gettable. </p><p class="">“We’re still hopg,” she said. </p><p class="">The issue has put Johnson, the most vulnerable Senate Republin this cycle, a tough spot his race agast progrsive Democratic Lt. Gov. Manla Barn, the first Black person to hold the job. More than 70% of Amerins back same-sex marriage, and polls have shown Barn wh a slight lead over Johnson, a Donald Tmp ally, even though he has the power of cumbency as he seeks a third six-year term.</p><p class="">“He’s a disgrace and don’t believe protectg our rights and eedoms. He’s unf for public office,” Barn <a href=">tweeted</a> rponse to a story last week that Johnson had flip-flopped on same-sex marriage.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">The issue has also highlighted Baldw and Johnson’s chilly relatnship, which has only grown lr sce same-sex marriage me to the foreont the Senate. </p><p class="">Johnson, a nservative bomb thrower swept to the Senate the tea party wave of 2010, has acced Baldw of “leakg” to The <a href=">New York Tim</a> a text msage exchange between the two after he ially exprsed an openns to supportg her bill to protect same-sex marriage. </p><p class="">He has sce said that he oppos the bill s current form and that the Supreme Court se legalizg same-sex marriage was “<a href=">wrongly cid</a>.” </p><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend" data-ttid="remend-wrapper"></div><p class="">“She texted me one time, and then she leaked the text to The New York Tim, so that’s not a good way to al wh a fellow senator,” Johnson said Tuday. “It’s the first time somebody’s actually leaked my texts. … We’ve been rdial, but aga, I’ve never leaked texts between senators. It’s jt the improper thg to do.”</p><p class="">While the legislatn's backers haven’t secured the 10 vot, Majory Lear Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vows to prs forward on an issue that Democrats believe will give them a boost the g midterms. If Schumer fil cloture on the bill Thursday, would likely set up a key procral vote on the bill early next week at the 60-vote thrhold.</p><p class="">Baldw said has been “a while” sce she spoke to Johnson about the legislatn. But she said she thks he might be among the “y” vot when the bill to the floor. </p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">"I thk he will be. I thk he might be, given the number of thgs I’ve read and a number of the people who are reachg out” to Johnson, Baldw said the hallway terview. </p><p class="">She add that some supporters of the bill had been “assigned” to reach out to Johnson. She wouldn’t name nam: “I’m not gog to share that level of tail.”    </p><p class="">Colls said she hadn’t recently spoken wh Johnson, eher.</p><p class="">Neher Johnson nor Baldw urt the media the halls. The gff Johnson, who ran a plastic manufacturg bs before he arrived the Senate, has never appeared to enjoy sparrg wh reporters like some of his other GOP lleagu. Baldw is often scribed as pole and soft-spoken, and spe her history-makg electn 2012, she rarely seeks the limelight. </p><p class="">The days, however, reporters have been houndg both about the same-sex marriage issue.</p><p class="">“I actually listen to nstuents,” Johnson said the terview. “There are some very legimate ncerns about relig liberty, and those ncerns would have to be properly addrsed.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">“I thk people are” workg on an amendment, he said, “but ’s got to provi very strong protectns.”</p><p class="">Colls, who has been tasked wh helpg to round up GOP support, said she’s also “hopeful” they n get to 10.</p><p class="endmark">“But as I said, you never know until the roll is lled.”</p></div><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Stt Wong</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Stt Wong is a senr ngrsnal reporter for NBC News. </p></div></div><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name">Frank Thorp V</span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter verg Congrs for NBC News, managg verage of the Senate.</p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxrail" 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