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The Wheelhouse

Making the candidate: How politicians can stand out in 2026

By Frankie Graziano,
Chloe Wynne
Published June 17, 2026 at 7:15 AM EDT
FILE: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy accepts congratulations from a supporter at a Dunkin’ Park election night watch party after Murphy was re-elected to his position in a race against Republican Matthew Corey.
Mark Mirko
/
Connecticut Public
FILE: U.S. Senator Chris Murphy accepts congratulations from a supporter at a Dunkin’ Park election night watch party after Murphy was re-elected to his position in a race against Republican Matthew Corey.

What makes a politician click with voters?

Is it the message? The smile? The slogan? Or that one campaign ad everyone can't stop talking about?

Today on The Wheelhouse, we go behind the scenes with political strategists to explore the making of a politician.

We'll break down the speeches, slogans, handshakes, photo ops, and yes – even the cringeworthy campaign ads.

Guests:

Are you already thinking about 2026 midterm elections? Help shape our election coverage by filling out this survey.

The Wheelhouse is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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The Wheelhouse elections
Frankie Graziano
Frankie Graziano is the host of 'The Wheelhouse,' focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.
See stories by Frankie Graziano
Chloe Wynne
Chloe is a producer for The Wheelhouse and Where We Live at Connecticut Public. She's also the host and a producer of the narrative podcast 'Generation Gilmore Girls.' Before that, she produced and reported for VPM and Story Mechanics on the investigative podcast 'Admissible: Shreds of Evidence.' She earned her master's degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2021. Reach her at cwynne@ctpublic.org.
See stories by Chloe Wynne
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