Embattled WI GOPer Sends Constituents to Adult Chat Line

Flickr/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soo/5525187516/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Sue Peacock</a>

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Randy Hopper, a Republican State Senator in Wisconsin, has had a rough few months. The target of a recall effort for his vote in favor of Republican Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union “repair” bill, Hopper suffered quite the embarassment in March when protesters arrived at his home in Fond du Lac in eastern Wisconsin. Demanding that Hopper come outside, the protesters instead encountered Hopper’s estranged wife, who explained that Hopper actually lived in Madison with a 26-year-old mistress. Next, it emerged that Walker’s chief of staff helped land Hopper’s mistress a prime job in the Wisconsin state government.

In the latest juicy news on Sen. Hopper, Raw Story reports that a letter from Hopper’s office lists for constituents a contact number that is in fact an adult chat line. Callers to the number are greeted with a voice saying, “Hey there, sexy guy…” It’s unclear how Hopper managed to send constituents to a service that bills itself as “the country’s favorite live talk,” but the gaffe is yet another headache for the embattled Republican.

Not as big a headache, of course, as Hopper’s impending recall election. Democrats gathered more than 23,000 signatures on their recall petition targeting Hopper, well over than necessary amount needed to trigger a new election. Hopper’s opponent in the recall election will be Jessica King, the deputy mayor of the city of Oshkosh. Hopper is one of four Republican State Senators who will face a recall election this year.

We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate