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Every weekday, Ballotpedia tracks the events that matter in the 2020 presidential election.
Now, we’re bringing you the highlights from our daily briefings in a weekly format so you can stay up-to-date on the 2020 election with one weekly email.
Share the latest from the campaign trail.
   
Here’s the latest from the campaign trail.
State Spotlight
Notable Quotes of the Week
“Everybody’s playing nice up until Iowa because they want to stay everyone’s second choice.”
– Mike Nellis, Democratic consultant
“The trick is that … there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern in which candidates surge and which ones don’t. In 2004, the establishment candidate, Kerry, overtook the insurgent liberal in Dean. But in several other races (say, Bush in 1988), the more establishment-type candidates underperformed. Sometimes, the late movement accelerated an existing trend, and sometimes it reversed one. Trump had been gaining ground in polls right up until a few days before the 2016 caucuses, for instance, before the last round of polls showed his lead slipping — and he further underperformed on caucus night. You can find several examples of Midwestern candidates overperforming on caucus night — but one of the biggest underachievers, Gephardt in 2004, was from Missouri, a neighboring state.
So you should be prepared for surprises on caucus night — and they may be genuine surprises, not necessarily the surprises that you’re hoping for or the ones that are easiest to conceive of right at this moment.”
– Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
Week in Review
Democrats launch final campaign ads, events in Iowa
The Democratic presidential candidates and their surrogates are descending on Iowa days before the Feb. 3 caucuses take place.
More than 80 Donald Trump surrogates are also expected to campaign in Iowa on Feb. 3.
In addition to town halls and rallies across the state, some candidates have also launched their final ads before the caucuses:
Delaney ends presidential campaign
After more than two years on the campaign trail, John Delaney announced on Friday that he was ending his presidential campaign.
His campaign said in a press release, “John does not want the good work of his campaign to make it harder for those like-minded candidates on the bubble of viability in many Iowa precincts to advance in the Iowa caucuses and garner delegates.”
Delaney said in an interview that his supporters in Iowa could caucus for Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, or Amy Klobuchar. He said his statement was not an endorsement.
Bloomberg, Trump release dueling Super Bowl ads
Roughly 100 million people are expected to watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump both paid more than $10 million to air ads during the sporting event.
Bloomberg’s 60-second ad, “George,” is focused on gun violence.
Trump is airing two 30-second ads. The first, “Stronger, Safer, More Prosperous,” focuses on the economy and unemployment rates. The second will not be released before the Super Bowl.
Leading Iowa, New Hampshire newspapers issue endorsements
A week after The New York Times issued its dual endorsement of Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, both candidates also received local editorial support.
The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest newspaper, endorsed Warren on Jan. 25.
The New Hampshire Union Leader, the state’s largest newspaper, endorsed Klobuchar on Jan. 26.
Bloomberg skips Iowa, looks to Super Tuesday
Michael Bloomberg is skipping the Iowa caucuses to focus on Super Tuesday in March.
After campaigning in Vermont and Maine on Monday, Bloomberg became the first 2020 presidential candidate to visit all 14 Super Tuesday states.
He also launched an ad campaign in 27 states—including California and Texas—featuring two new ads focused on healthcare.
Want more? Find the daily details here:
Poll Spotlight
Staff Spotlight
Brigit Helgen is a Democratic staffer with experience in political communications. She graduated from Harvard University in 2008. Helgen previously worked as Klobuchar’s chief of staff.
Previous campaign work:
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2014 Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) gubernatorial campaign, senior advisor
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2008 Tim Johnson (D-Minn.) U.S. Senate campaign, press secretary
Other experience:
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2017-2019: Office of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chief of staff
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2016-2017: Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, head of communications
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2015-2016: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for congressional affairs
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2011-2015: Office of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, communications director and deputy chief of staff
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2011: U.S. Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center, deputy press secretary for regional media
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2009-2011: Office of Sen. Mark Pryor, deputy press secretary
What We’re Reading
Flashback: January 27-31, 2016
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January 27, 2016: According to Ballotpedia’s Presidential Nominating Index, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the candidates most likely to win their respective party’s nominations.
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January 28, 2016: Donald Trump boycotted the Republican primary debate on Fox News.
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January 29, 2016: Ted Cruz released an ad in Iowa targeting Marco Rubio.
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January 30, 2016: The New York Times endorsed Hillary Clinton and John Kasich.
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January 31, 2016: Donald Trump said that he did not need to win Iowa to be successful: “I don't have to win it. I have a very substantial lead in New Hampshire.”
How many times has an incumbent president run for re-election with a different running mate than when they were first elected?
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