David Redlawsk, better known as Dave, has served as chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations for the past 10 years, in addition to teaching courses at the university, like Local Government and Politics. This year, as elections approach in November, Redlawsk will step down as chair, and has planned a leave of absence to focus on his campaign to represent the 23rd District in the Delaware State House of Representatives.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Redlawsk became involved with politics from a young age through local volunteering and elections. He always knew politics would play a major role in his life. 

“I was the kid in high school that everybody said, ‘Oh, you’re gonna be president someday,’” Redlawsk said.

While he did not necessarily see himself running for office at that level, the thought of entering the world of local politics was something that often lingered in Redlawsk’s mind. When he began his college education, he worked toward a degree in political science to truly solidify this dream.

Between studying at Duke University in North Carolina and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and living in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Iowa, Redlawsk has developed a deep understanding of local politics in different parts of the country.

Much of his political work has occurred alongside his wife, Aletia, beginning when they were both recruited to get involved in their rural community in Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

“I was a kid,” Redlawsk said. “I was basically 25 years old, something like that, and I was running the planning commission, and working on zoning, planning, development, all those kinds of issues. And it gave me the bug to do things in the community, to do things that I thought mattered.”

In New Jersey, while working as a political science professor at Rutgers University, he got further experience by running the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll, a long-standing poll on public opinion. Even though this required him to limit his involvement in partisan politics, Redlawsk remained engaged with the local community.

In 2016, Redlawsk was hired as chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the university. Since moving to Delaware, he and his wife have become active members in local organizations, particularly in local politics.

“We work a lot as a team,” Redlawsk said. “And so we threw ourselves into supporting the Democrat Party and Democratic operations in New Castle County.” 

As a political science professor at the university, Redlawsk is particularly involved with the student population here in Newark. He partly attributes his campaign to his teaching. 

“Watching my students get engaged and pushing students to get engaged as I’m at this stage of my career, I thought, I have some time,” Redlawsk said. “I probably ought to do what I say. I ought to be more visible and see what I can use my talents for, to the benefit of the community.”

His dedication to the district is reflected in his involvement with a variety of local groups, where he has ingrained himself as one of the locals, despite not growing up in the state. Redlawsk found himself wanting to represent such a community.

“We came to Delaware because of the job,” Redlawsk said. “We’ve stayed, because I absolutely love it. I want to continue to offer something to the community, and this seems to be an opportunity to do that.”

Looking ahead, Redlawsk has identified policy issues that he is prioritizing in this campaign and that he plans to focus on if elected. 

He underscored the importance of solving the state’s affordability crisis. Within that, his major concerns are minimum wage, the current tax system and electricity rates. 

“There should be higher brackets with higher rates, so that those at the top are doing more to contribute, because they can do more to contribute,” Redlawsk said. “And those who are just trying to get by, get a break.” 

When it comes to the electricity rates, it is the recent proposal of data centers across the state that worries Redlawsk.

“They draw so much power, proposed data centers, that draw more power than all of the state combined, all the households in the state combined,” Redlawsk said. “To do that costs everybody more, because we socialized the expense in the current way we designed the system.” 

Additionally, he emphasized issues within Delaware’s education system for K-12 schools. 

“It’s 80 years old,” Redlawsk said. “It’s stuck in the past. It doesn’t support those students who need the most support.” 

He noted that while there have been recent developments in this area, with proposals beginning to make their way through the legislature, this work is not done.

Redlawsk also highlighted his commitment to healthcare in the state. Specifically, he stressed that he will work to secure a constitutional amendment that permanently protects reproductive rights in the state of Delaware. 

In a small state like Delaware, Redlawsk aims to have a significant, positive impact on his potential constituents.

“I think I have the unique experience and knowledge to hit the ground running in Dover, to represent the people of the 23rd,” Redlawsk said. “I understand government. I’ve been studying it and teaching it for many, many years. I’ve been engaged in the political process. I know the people involved, but I also know the city of Newark, and the University of Delaware.”

If elected, students may miss seeing Redlawsk in the classroom next year, but he emphasizes that it is they who got him there.

“I get really depressed sometimes, looking at what’s going on, and then I go into my class, and I see almost fifty kids in my local politics class, local government class, and I just have this hope,” Redlawsk said. “I have this really positive feeling, and I want to take that to Dover.”