{"id":12989,"date":"2025-09-06T20:19:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T20:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/democrats-face-high-stakes-in-new-jersey-and-virginia\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T20:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T20:19:13","slug":"democrats-face-high-stakes-in-new-jersey-and-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/democrats-face-high-stakes-in-new-jersey-and-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats face high stakes in New Jersey and Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The two premier statewide elections this fall are Democrats\u2019 to lose, but they have a lot to prove.<\/p>\n

Many Democrats won\u2019t be satisfied with simply eking out a win \u2014 they are banking on resounding victories from Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. The gubernatorial nominees, who are leaning into their national security pedigrees, are carrying the weight of a party’s expectations.<\/p>\n

The party is looking to them to springboard Democrats into next year’s midterms, with control of Congress up for grabs. They\u2019re eager to show that 2024\u2019s drubbing was an anomaly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats should be optimistic about these two races, but you know, the lesson from 2024 is we can’t take anything for granted,\u201d said veteran Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, who added that President Donald Trump\u2019s mastery of dominating news coverage runs the risk of drowning out his rivals’ economic messaging.<\/p>\n

After Democratic overperformances in local elections across the country this year, the party is bullish on their prospects. Recent polling has Sherrill and Spanberger leading their Republican opponents, Jack Ciattarelli and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, respectively.<\/p>\n

When pushed, operatives express more confidence about Virginia, and acknowledge maintaining their grip on the governor\u2019s mansion in New Jersey for the third consecutive cycle presents a tougher challenge.<\/p>\n

National Democrats have committed what they called some of their largest initial investments in these states \u2014 $1.5 million each in New Jersey and Virginia \u2014 to boost Sherrill and Spanberger. A group backed by the Democratic Governors Association also placed $20 million in advertisements in New Jersey, around twice as much as the DGA-backed group did in 2021.<\/p>\n

The political climate in Virginia and New Jersey is far better than what they’re facing in some battleground races next November. But the fear of being toppled by Republican nominees in states where Trump gained ground is adding pressure to the Sherrill and Spanberger campaigns, as are looming questions of whether they can unify their fractured coalition that cost Kamala Harris the election.<\/p>\n

With two months before voters head to the polls in New Jersey and Virginia \u2014 and just weeks before early voting starts \u2014 here are some issues to watch.<\/p>\n

Economy<\/h4>\n

Democrats are blaming Trump for rising costs as they emphasize affordability \u2014 an issue that catapulted him to the White House last year. If successful, that messaging is likely to serve as a blueprint for next year’s midterms.<\/p>\n

Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) argued that Sherrill\u2019s focus on affordability will appeal to those who backed the president because he has \u201clied about every major campaign promise\u201d regarding cutting costs.<\/p>\n

Democrats see this as a way to recapture Black and Hispanic voters, who drifted toward Trump in part because they viewed him as stronger than Harris on the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the voters, the Latino and Black community, were looking for possible change. They thought Trump would be that change,\u201d said Rep. Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), who represents a diverse district that Trump won last year. \u201cSadly, he has not delivered on any of the promises he has made. He has not changed the economy, he has not lowered the costs. \u2026 I think the Latino and Black community will see him for what he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats are hoping the Trump administration’s recent moves on tariffs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a> will sway voters in November. Republicans, meanwhile, are toying with how to market the megabill<\/a> to voters ahead of next year\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n

This election will put Democrats\u2019 Trump messaging to the test. But while they try to convince voters higher costs are the president\u2019s fault, Ciattarelli and his fellow Republicans say outgoing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Trenton Democrats are to blame.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

In Virginia, Democrats are leaning into similar messages on affordability, arguing Trump has broken campaign promises on lowering costs since his return to the White House. The DOGE cuts, which are acutely felt in Northern Virginia suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., are paramount in the campaign as Democrats look to cast Earle-Sears as a cheerleader for Trump\u2019s gutting of the federal workforce.<\/p>\n

The Trump Factor<\/h4>\n

The GOP is hoping they can replicate the party\u2019s success when Trump is not on the ballot \u2014 something that helped lift Virginia Republican Glenn Youngkin to the governor\u2019s mansion four years ago. That red wave, however, was short-lived as Democrats successfully flipped control of the lower chamber of the Virginia legislature in 2023. Now Democrats are looking to expand their control of both chambers as well as usher in a clean sweep of all three statewide offices this year by leaning into anti-Trump sentiments.<\/p>\n

But the president\u2019s impact is an unknown factor in Virginia. Earle-Sears has yet to receive Trump\u2019s endorsement, which some Republicans are bullish would help her make up ground.<\/p>\n

An endorsement \u201cwould be a plus,\u201d said Fairfax County GOP chair Katie Gorka. \u201cI know that there are people, especially in Northern Virginia, who are not Trump fans. \u2026 But the bottom line is, Trump did really well for a Republican in Northern Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Earle-Sears is borrowing from his 2024 culture-war playbook. In a campaign ad released Wednesday<\/a>, she labeled her Democratic opponent a \u201cwoke Washington radical\u201d who \u201cwants boys to play sports and share locker rooms with little girls\u201d and will allow kids to change genders \u201cwithout telling their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Virginia<\/p>\n

The Spanberger campaign wants to remind Virginia voters that the Republican nominee, who advocated the Republican Party \u201cmove on<\/a>\u201d from the president just a few years ago, is now fully embracing Trumpism.<\/p>\n

In New Jersey, Trump endorsed Ciattarelli in the Republican primary. But it\u2019s unclear if the president\u2019s support will provide a boost among the general electorate, in which Ciattarelli needs to earn the backing of unaffiliated and Democratic voters to chip away at Democrats\u2019 large voter registration advantage. Recent surveys show Trump unpopular with New Jerseyans, and Democrats are confident he will drag Ciattarelli at the polls.<\/p>\n

Ciattarelli recently told reporters he appreciates \u201cthat the White House isn’t taking a heavy-handed approach\u201d with his race, but offered to \u201cdo anything\u201d that Ciattarelli thinks \u201ccan help the campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ciattarelli criticized the president years ago, and Trump did not endorse the New Jersey Republican in 2021. But Trump now proclaims Ciattarelli as \u201c100 percent MAGA\u201d \u2014 something Democrats are eager to remind voters of<\/a>. Ciattarelli argues that Democrats are more focused on talking about Trump than New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Who will boost Democratic enthusiasm?<\/h4>\n

While Republicans can rally the base around Trump this November, Democrats lack that clear leader.<\/p>\n

When asked about whether a campaign appearance from Harris would benefit Sherrill, New Jersey Democratic Party Chair LeRoy Jones said he is focused on \u201cutilizing the celebrity base in New Jersey that we have,\u201d and cited Sen. Cory Booker and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the latter of whom came in second place during the June Democratic primary for governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a number of individuals that give that turnout prowess,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Former President Barack Obama held rallies for Murphy and former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, as well as Virginia nominees Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe. Though he hasn’t announced plans in either state yet, he participated in a fundraiser earlier this summer for Sherrill.<\/p>\n

At least one potential 2028 Democratic White House candidate, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, is planning to campaign for Sherrill and Spanberger in the closing stretch of the campaign.<\/p>\n

Black and Hispanic voters<\/h4>\n

Across the country, Republicans are looking to replicate Trump\u2019s inroads with Black and Hispanic voters. New Jersey and Virginia will be the first post-2024 test of whether they are able to achieve that.<\/p>\n

In the primary, Sherrill had a lower share of the vote<\/a> in areas with large Black and Hispanic populations, and some have warned that Democrats are at risk of continuing to lose those voters. Ciattarelli and Sherrill are working to engage those communities, and Sherrill recently got a notable boost with an endorsement from Baraka, who performed well in areas with large Black and Hispanic populations in the primary.<\/p>\n

\"Candidate<\/p>\n

In Virginia, Republicans tout their diverse slate of candidates, with a Black woman running atop the ticket, an openly gay lieutenant governor candidate in John Reid and incumbent attorney general Jason Miyares, who is of Cuban descent.<\/p>\n

Earle-Sears’ campaign also points to a recent $500,000 donation from Bob Johnson<\/a>, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, as evidence she is making inroads with minority voters while picking up fundraising in the campaign\u2019s final stretch. Spanberger enjoys a hefty 3-to-1 cash advantage, according to recent state campaign finance reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spanberger was forced to play defense after a woman held a racially divisive sign last month at a campaign rally targeting the lieutenant governor. \u201cHey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain,” the sign read. Spanberger said in a social media post<\/a> the sign was \u201cracist and abhorrent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats counter that their own diverse ticket, which includes an Indian-born woman as lieutenant governor nominee and a Black man running for attorney general, better represent the values of voters of the state than their GOP counterparts. The party also vows their ticket will, unlike the Republicans, work to protect residents from the federal government overreach.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks aren’t fooled in this campaign,\u201d said Lamont Bagby, a state senator and chair of Virginia\u2019s Democratic Party. \u201cWhen we needed them to push back on the Trump administration \u2026 they did not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The two premier statewide elections this fall are Democrats\u2019 to lose, but they have a lot to prove. Many Democrats won\u2019t be satisfied with simply eking out a win \u2014 they are banking on resounding victories from Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. The gubernatorial nominees, who are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}