Obama to campaign for Democrats in New Jersey, Virginia governor races

With Election Day in New Jersey and Virginia’s extremely aggressive and explosive races for governor simply two weeks away, Democrats are bringing in one among their get together’s greatest marketing campaign finishes.

Former President Barack Obama will headline rallies in New Jersey and Virginia — the one two states within the nation that maintain gubernatorial contests within the 12 months after the presidential election — on Nov. 1, the Saturday earlier than Election Day.

For Democrats, who’re aiming to flee the political wilderness after gorgeous setbacks in final 12 months’s elections, after they misplaced majorities within the White Home and Senate and didn’t win again the Home, the 2025 poll field showdowns are their first huge likelihood for redemption, and so they hope Obama’s two-state flip will energize their base voters.

However for the previous president, whose main home achievement — the Inexpensive Care Act, higher often called Obamacare — is central to the present federal authorities shutdown and a high difficulty on the 2025 marketing campaign path, his return to the marketing campaign path can also be about defending his legacy.

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Former President Barack Obama speaks on the Democratic Nationwide Conference on August 20, 2024 in Chicago. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Picture)

“President Obama reminds us what we will obtain after we leaders should not afraid to tackle huge challenges,” New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill mentioned in an announcement. “He led historic efforts to insure hundreds of thousands of Individuals and scale back well being care prices.”

And addressing the Republican nominee within the race, Sherrill argued: “The distinction could not be clearer. Jack Ciatarelli helps Trump’s assaults on New Jersey, from ending the Gateway Tunnel Challenge to excluding tons of of hundreds of New Jerseyans from their well being care. I’m so grateful for President Obama’s help and help on this race as we utilizing our momentum to mobilize New Jerseyans to vote.”

Sherrill, who seems headed for an Election Day photograph end with Ciatarelli, introduced Tuesday that Obama will co-chair a rally in Newark along with her on Nov. 1.

And former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate in Virginia who’s working in opposition to Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears, introduced that the previous president would co-chair a rally along with her in Norfork that very same day.

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“Virginia’s elections are among the many most essential within the nation this 12 months, and I’m proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for governor. Republican insurance policies are elevating prices for working households so billionaires can get large tax cuts,” Obama mentioned in an announcement.

Spanberger and Earle-Sears wish to succeed the restricted Republican governor Glenn Youngkin. Virginia state regulation prohibits sitting governors from serving a second consecutive four-year time period.

Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, left, and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee. (Pool/Getty Photographs)

In New Jersey, polls recommend Ciatarelli is closing the hole with Sherrill within the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

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Ciatarelli’s marketing campaign claimed that Obama’s upcoming look on the New Jersey marketing campaign path is an indication of weak point for Democrats.

“Nationwide and New Jersey Democrats are in full panic. At this level, we anticipate them to import anybody they suppose can excite Democrats, as a result of Mikie Sherrill shouldn’t be thrilling anybody,” Ciatarelli marketing campaign chief strategist Chris Russell argued in an announcement to Fox Information Digital.

Ciatarelli, who’s working for governor of the Backyard State for the third time in a row and who almost upset Murphy 4 years in the past, has good purpose to be optimistic he can pull off a win in blue-leaning New Jersey.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill and Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli initially of their second and last debate, on October 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox Information Digital)

In a state the place registered Democrats nonetheless outnumber Republicans regardless of a surge in Republican Get together registrations this decade, three polls launched final week — from Fox Information, Quinnipiac College and Fairleigh Dickinson College — confirmed Ciatarelli gaining floor.

The Fox Information ballot performed from October 10 to 14, introduced Sherrill to 50% help amongst probably voters, and Ciatarelli to 45%. Sherrill’s five-point lead was decrease than an eight-point lead in Fox Information’ September New Jersey survey.

Whereas Democrats have lengthy dominated federal and state elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are fiercely aggressive in gubernatorial elections, profitable 5 of the previous 10 elections.

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And President Donald Trump made huge features in New Jersey in final 12 months’s presidential election, dropping the state by simply six share factors, a giant enchancment from his 16-point deficit 4 years earlier.

A number of sources confirmed to Fox Information that Trump will maintain a tele-meeting with Ciatarelli forward of Election Day.

Trump introduced on social media Monday night that “Jack is a person who will rapidly carry down prices and costs, however particularly vitality prices, as a result of he is aware of every part else will comply with.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio, leads a marketing campaign occasion for Jack Ciatarelli on October 15, 2025 in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox Information)

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Final week, Ciatarelli was joined by a packed diner in Saddle Brook, New Jersey Vivek Ramaswamythe MAGA rock star who needs to develop into governor of his dwelling state of Ohio subsequent 12 months.

And this week, one other well-known Republican politician within the MAGA world is heading to New Jersey. Fox Information has discovered that Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, an ally of the president within the Home of Representatives who has Trump’s help if he runs for Florida governor subsequent 12 months, will work with Ciatarelli on Wednesday.

The high-profile surrogates’ stops and Trump’s tele-rally may assist Ciatarelli energize MAGA supporters, a lot of whom are low-propensity voters who typically skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.

The identical story applies to the Democrats.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill works with Maryland Governor Wes Moore in Newark on October 19, 2025. (Mikie Sherrill Marketing campaign)

Sherrill was joined in his marketing campaign final weekend by main Democratic Get together surrogates, together with two of the most important names within the get together: Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland – who’re thought-about potential candidates for the White Home in 2028.

And with Obama, Sherrill and Spanberger usher in the most well-liked and best-known Democrat within the nation.

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In line with one Gallup poll In January, Obama had a 59% favorable ranking amongst Individuals, larger than every other residing former president.

And amongst Democrats, Obama’s favorable ranking was 96%.