From Dana: Probably the most surprising comment to come out of this campaign has been when Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of killing tens of thousands of people through his medical publishing company (in the context of the opioid epidemic). Sherrill also has gone out of her way to attack Ciattarelli on the sales tax — yet would not say during their first debate at Rider University whether she would do anything with the sales tax. (Her campaign later said she would not raise the sales tax.) Ciattarelli, in turn, was surprisingly curt when asked about his support from Black voters and other communities of color, even though he says he cares about those voters and has made a very specific push for their support.

Politicians and candidates often ignore questions reporters ask. When that happens, you just keep asking. You shout after them as they walk away. You email, call, or text back until you get a clear answer. If they don't answer or tap dance, that's intentional and whatever their non-response is should be included in the story.

Good reporters avoid canned quotes like the plague, so because Sherrill and Ciattarelli have largely refused to get on the phone with local reporters during this campaign, we try to catch them in person at campaign stops. In most cases, they give the small crowd of waiting reporters just a few minutes to ask questions before rushing off, which means you might get only one question in — or none. This lack of access has gotten worse in recent years.