Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean calls herself a “big hugger,” but there’s none of that in-person campaigning in the Philadelphia suburbs as the House freshman runs for reelection largely online to protect against the health risks of COVID-19. Traveling the heartland, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is taking the opposite approach. The two lawmakers show the different tactics underway in a pandemic election year unlike any other as candidates try to win over voters beyond the White House in down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress.
Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean calls herself a “big hugger,” but there’s none of that in-person campaigning in the Philadelphia suburbs as the House freshman runs for reelection largely online to protect against the health risks of COVID-19. Traveling the heartland, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is taking the opposite approach. The two lawmakers show the different tactics underway in a pandemic election year unlike any other as candidates try to win over voters beyond the White House in down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress.