Obama Rallies With Democrats In Virginia And New Jersey Ahead Of High-Stakes Governor Races
By The Garden State Gazette Staff
Former President Barack Obama is back in campaign mode, flying into Virginia and New Jersey to try to keep two governor’s mansions in Democratic hands in the only gubernatorial contests of 2025.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, Obama started the day in Norfolk, Virginia, rallying for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, then headed north to Newark to boost New Jersey Democrat Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
Both races — Spanberger vs. Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia, and Sherrill vs. Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey — are being treated as early stress tests of the national political mood heading toward the 2026 midterms.
Norfolk: Spanberger, Trump, and a warning shot about “lawlessness”
In Norfolk, Obama framed the Virginia race as bigger than one state, pitching Spanberger as a stability candidate in a political era he described as shaky and “reckless.”
Coverage of the event quotes Obama attacking President Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington, accusing them of “lawlessness and recklessness” and pointing to fights over tariffs, National Guard deployments, and clashes over democratic norms.
Spanberger — a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman — has tried to hold the middle lane in a polarized year, emphasizing:
- Economic stability
- Healthcare costs
- Housing and energy prices
while arguing that Earle-Sears is tethered too closely to Trump-era politics.
Heading into the final weekend, polling showed Spanberger with a steady lead, giving Democrats some breathing room in a state that has bounced between parties over the last decade.
Newark: Sherrill vs. Ciattarelli in a knife-edge New Jersey race
After Virginia, Obama landed in Newark, headlining a packed “Get Out The Vote” rally at Essex County College for Mikie Sherrill.
On stage with Sherrill were some of New Jersey’s top Democrats — Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Cory Booker, and other party figures — all pushing the same message: turnout in places like Essex and neighboring counties could decide the race.
According to New Jersey-based coverage of the event, Obama told the crowd that electing Sherrill could “put New Jersey on a brighter path” and “set a glorious example for this nation.” He urged voters to drag “friends, family, and frenemies” to the polls before Election Day on Nov. 4.
The numbers explain the urgency. Recent polling has the Sherrill–Ciattarelli contest essentially tied:
- Sherrill: 48–49%
- Ciattarelli: 47–48%
with only a thin slice of voters still undecided.
On the other side, Jack Ciattarelli spent the same weekend on a “Road to Change” bus tour, pitching:
- Lower taxes
- “Safer communities”
- A reset for a state that has been under Democratic control for years
The result: New Jersey’s governor’s race is less coronation, more street fight.
Why these two races matter beyond state lines
Virginia and New Jersey are the only governor’s races on the calendar in 2025. That makes them test labs for both parties’ messages, turnout operations, and star power heading into 2026.
Democrats are leaning heavily on Obama to spark enthusiasm among Black voters, younger voters, and base Democrats in cities like Norfolk and Newark, at a time when polls show fatigue and frustration over the economy and national politics.
Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to harness Trump-aligned energy through advertising, ground operations, and surrogates — even as Trump himself has stayed off the New Jersey rally stage.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. How Virginia and New Jersey break will offer one of the first clear readings on how voters are responding to both parties’ pitches — and how much influence big national names like Obama and Trump still carry down the ballot.
This report is based on publicly available coverage and polling data from national and New Jersey outlets as of November 28, 2025.