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By Justin Richards, University of Delaware junior and intern for the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication
JANUARY 30, 2020―With a just a few days left before the Iowa caucuses on Monday, February 3, David Redlawsk, the chair of University of Delaware's Political Science & International Relations Department, has seen the ebbs and flows of candidates and campaigns. While on sabbatical, Redlawsk has spent the last six months in Iowa, studying and reporting on the Iowa caucuses. He tweets regularly about the caucuses @DavidRedlawsk.
As candidates enter the final week, Professor Redlawsk has noticed that they are making “the ask.” “It is partially the stump speech and really now it is the close—‘why me and here is what you should do.’”
In recent weeks, some have questioned the effectiveness of personal attacks made by Sen. Bernie Sanders against Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Redlawsk remarked, “I will admit that I am surprised that candidates haven’t been more negative than they have been. It is usually more negative than this by now, it looks like it is not going to get terribly negative.”