Source: Politics<\/p>\n
NORFOLK, Virginia \u2014 Barack Obama reprised his role as the Democrats\u2019 closer-in-chief on Saturday, filling a void for his still leaderless party in the waning days of the closely watched gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
The former president\u2019s stops \u2014 his first in Norfolk, home to the nation\u2019s largest Naval installation and two historically Black colleges, and later in Newark, the Garden State\u2019s most populous city where nearly half of residents are Black \u2014 are nods that Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominees in Virginia and New Jersey respectively, see these voters as key to securing victory in the Nov. 4 election.<\/p>\n
But Obama\u2019s reemergence is also a reminder of the rudderlessness of the Democratic Party, which is still reeling from stinging losses in 2024 that left them completely locked out of power in the federal government. Democrats are counting on decisive victories from Spanberger and Sherrill, both of whom are favored to win on Tuesday, to help springboard them into the critical midterm elections next year.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump made gains in both states last year, in part due to an improved performance among Black and Hispanic voters.<\/p>\n
Democrats have worked to get these voters back on their side, with the bet that their affordability-focused messaging will demonstrate that Trump failed to deliver on his economic promises<\/a> that drew so many of them in. But Republicans, too, have been courting these voters<\/a> in an attempt to replicate Trump\u2019s gains last year.<\/p>\n Obama underscored Spanberger and Sherrill\u2019s focus on the economy as he sought to fire up voters.<\/p>\n \u201cAbigail\u2019s opponent does seem to care a lot about what Trump and his cronies are doing. She praised the Republican tax law that would raise the cost of health care and housing and energy in Virginia,\u201d Obama said without mentioning Virginia\u2019s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, by name. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like everyday is Halloween, except it\u2019s all tricks and not treats,\u201d the former president said, drawing laughs from the crowd, before adding: \u201cI did warn y\u2019all.\u201d <\/p>\n Obama also spoke to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the call granted anonymity to confirm the private conversation, underscoring the former president\u2019s involvement in trying to direct an adrift Democratic Party. The call was first reported by The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Without a singular figure driving the Democratic Party, Democrats are searching for a message that will resonate with voters. These races will be the latest temperature check on the effectiveness of their rhetoric on the economy \u2014 and their blaming of Trump for voters\u2019 unhappiness with it.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Obama is somebody who is widely respected across the state,\u201d Sherrill told reporters Thursday. \u201cHe’s a pragmatic leader who I think cares deeply about rights and freedoms, but also about driving down costs. And I think at this moment, having the architect of the Affordable Care Act \u2014 as now everybody here in New Jersey, because of President Trump, is set to see their premiums go up by 175 percent \u2014 is really telling.\u201d<\/p>\n Spanberger and Sherrill have sought to tie their Republican opponents, Earle-Sears and Jack Ciattarelli, respectively, to Trump. The Democrats have positioned themselves as a bulwark to the president, whom they argue has made the economy worse since he returned to power \u2014 in part pointing to the ongoing government shutdown.<\/p>\n Thousands of federal workers are missing paychecks, and others are out of a job due to the Department of Government Efficiency-related firings earlier this year and more recently through Trump-backed job cuts since the shutdown began a month ago \u2014 a dynamic that is particularly acute in Virginia, which has a large number of federal workers.<\/p>\n \u201cYou deserve a governor who will work with Democrats and Republicans to grow our economy and not stand by while Virginia\u2019s workforce is under attack,\u201d Spanberger said Saturday. <\/p>\n Saturday brought in a new round of hardship: Millions were placed at risk of losing food assistance<\/a> as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was forecast to run out of money. Sherrill said her campaign will be<\/a> \u201ccollecting donations for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey as the Trump Administration is letting SNAP funding expire, forcing more families to rely on food banks for food assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n Outgoing Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared an emergency, blaming the \u201cDemocrat Shutdown\u201d for the funding fight, and the state is stepping in to help SNAP beneficiaries. New Jersey also declared a state of emergency and is \u201caccelerating\u201d funds to food banks<\/a>, term-limited Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. Murphy on Friday said \u201cthe Trump Administration\u2019s decision to suspend SNAP funding as the government shutdown drags on is both unethical and illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n The same day, federal judges ordered the Trump administration<\/a> to use emergency money to fund the program.<\/p>\n In New Jersey, which is expected to be a tighter race than Virginia, some Democrats have expressed concerns<\/a> about Democrats regaining ground with Black voters. Sherrill \u2014 who called Black voters a \u201ckey part of the Democratic firewall\u201d \u2014 is likely to win among this demographic, but as Ciattarelli also attempts to appeal to them, the margin could make a difference in the overall outcome.<\/p>\n Earle-Sears, who is Black, took Obama to task<\/a> for his comments chastising Black men<\/a> for not supporting then-presidential nominee Kamala Harris more aggressively, yet urging Black voters a year later to support Democratic nominees who are both white.<\/p>\n It was unclear prior to Obama\u2019s remarks in Virginia whether he would weigh in on the controversy surrounding Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been at the center of scandal surrounding violence-themed text messages he sent in 2022 where he fantasized about shooting and killing a Republican lawmaker<\/a> that came to light in the closing weeks of the race. It threw the party\u2019s hope for flipping Virginia\u2019s top statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general into question and offered Republicans a rallying cry to hammer Spanberger<\/a>, who condemned the messages but refused to pull her endorsement of Jones or ask him to drop out of the race.<\/p>\n But Jones appeared early in the rally<\/a> and made no mention of the scandal that has engulfed his campaign. While other speakers mentioned Jones, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), neither Obama nor Spanberger did.<\/p>\n While Obama\u2019s return to the campaign trail gave many Democrats a jolt of excitement, his presence has been pilloried by Republicans who suggest both nominees are incapable of leading Democrats into the future and are the reason they\u2019re reliant on \u201cthe face of the Democrat Party from a decade ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSherrill and Spanberger both lack a cohesive forward-looking agenda to improve the lives of voters in their states, so it comes as no surprise that they’re reliant on Democrat nostalgia despite its failed policies that let Americans down,\u201d Courtney Alexander, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement to POLITICO.<\/p>\n Obama has been a consistent presence for gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia in recent cycles, regularly serving as the headliner<\/a> even after he left office.<\/p>\n