Republicans have long feuded with the mainstream media. Now many are shutting them out

Ron DeSantis, seen speaking to reporters from Fox News in 2018 when he was running for governor of Florida, has been prominent in a recent trend of Republicans ignoring or actively avoiding mainstream press, particularly national outlets. (John Raoux/AP)

I went to Wisconsin in June to report on how abortion rights are affecting the Senate and governor primaries – the idea was to do one story on the Democrats and one on the Republicans.

Long story short: I heard back from the Democrats but not the Republicans. Phone calls, emails, Facebook messages – I didn't hear back from anyone. The top Republican governor candidates posted no events, though their social media showed they were out, talking to voters.