I was Left on the Cutting Room Floor

Posted on by August 20, 2026

On Tuesday, August 18, as I was getting my haircut in the early afternoon, my barber suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, I almost forgot. NBC News is sending a crew here to my shop later today to talk to people about the upcoming election.”

I said, “What!?!”

He stated that he got a call from someone at the NBC News Bureau in Washington to confirm that the shop would still be open in the evening, as the likely arrival time of the broadcast crew would be between 6:30 and 8pm. I don’t know why NBC selected my barber’s shop for their stop in Toledo (and I don’t think my barber does either).

As the Libertarian Party candidate for US Senate in Ohio this year, I decided to ditch a trip to Columbus with several other Libertarian candidates to attend a Teamsters cocktail party for the chance to possibly get on national television as an interviewee. I returned to the barber shop about 6:15pm.

About 7pm, in walked NBC News reporter Jon Allen and two cameramen, Frank and Marshall. I then learned that they were travelling from New Jersey to Iowa to cover eight US House races that are considered to be close this year for Meet the Press NOW, which streams Monday through Friday at 4pm ET on nbcnews.com and Peacock. Their stop in Toledo was to cover the 9th Congressional District race involving incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur.

I introduced myself as the US Senate candidate, and they proceeded to interview me and at least three other people in or near the barber shop, which is located in a small shopping center.

They left at about 9pm, only to return shortly thereafter to interview my barber before departing by car for Davenport, Iowa, their next stop on their cross half country tour.

The story ran on Wednesday, August 19, and, alas, I and other interviewees were left out of the broadcast, except for my barber. Here is the broadcast, and the story starts at 33:55 on this video.

Comments

I was Left on the Cutting Room Floor — 55 Comments

  2. Kudos to you Bill for making the effort to get more news coverage. Maybe NBC will use it later in some other program. And congrats to your barber for making the cut.

  23. Mr. Redpath, doesn’t this article promoting your campaign undermine this longstanding service provided by this website?

  25. Fedpath sued to get his opponent off the ballot. He doesn’t care about ballot access.

  28. Don’t worry, Redpath won’t do it. He’s a Libertarian – very few of them actually want to hold office. They prefer to run for unwinnable offices.

  31. https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/postal-publishes-mail-voting-rule-010403915.html

    Postal Service publishes mail-in voting rule despite court injunctions
    Don Jacobson
    Sat, August 22, 2026 at 9:04 PM EDT
    Aug. 22 (UPI) — The United States Postal Service has prepared a final rule changing how mail voting is administered under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump despite a pair of court injunctions against it, documents show.

    An unpublished version of the rule was entered into the Federal Register late on Friday, indicating the USPS intends to press ahead with implementation of a measure the administration says is necessary to prevent fraud in mail-in voting — a popular method of casting ballots that Trump has called “inherently corrupt.”
    ——–
    real emergency crisis action in scotus within 24 hours ???

  40. No, unfortunately.

    Are Shining Red Path and Left Winger both still on the cutting room floor?

  46. Sounds like your barber had an exciting day! Hope you got the chance to share your thoughts on the election with the crew. Curious if NBC will air any of those interviews or if they’ll just end up on the cutting room floor too! this resource

  47. Whoa, getting your haircut and then finding out NBC News is coming? That’s wild! It’s interesting how everyday moments can turn into something big. Hope your barber gets a spotlight for that! What a story to tell. relevant link

  48. Seems like your barber is the real MVP here! Hope the NBC crew gave you some good airtime before cutting it all out. It’s interesting how snippets of everyday moments can turn into a bigger story. useful tool

  49. Interesting to hear how the sudden news crew visit turned your haircut into a mini-event! It’s too bad you weren’t on camera, but at least your barber got to shine. Maybe next time they’ll get the whole shop involved! useful tool

  50. Sounds like a wild experience, Bill! Getting caught off guard by a news crew while getting a haircut is quite a story. Hope they shine a light on the real issues of the election instead of just the fluff. Here’s to your barber for being a local celebrity! good resource

  52. Wonder if your barber’s shop will be the next hot spot for election coverage! NBC definitely knows where to find interesting stories. Hope you get a chance to chat with them next time! helpful site

  53. Sounds like your barber knows how to attract attention! Curious if they actually featured anything from your perspective during the segment. Hoping you’ll get your moment on the screen eventually! recommended

  54. Excited to hear about your barber’s unexpected brush with NBC News! It must have been quite a surprise for everyone in the shop. Here’s hoping your perspective gets shared, even if it didn’t make the final cut. useful tool

  55. Interesting that your barber got a call from NBC News! Hope you made the most of your chance to share your views on the election. Being left out of such an opportunity must feel strange, but maybe it’ll lead to something even better down the line! worth a look

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