New Jersey and Virginia governor races much tighter than expected

Democrats are running for governor New Jersey Virginia should win easily.

However, the races turned out to be tougher than forecasters expected. This is why.

Mickey SherrillThe former Navy officer, former prosecutor and congresswoman must beat Jack Ciattarelli, a former congressman who has already run twice and lost.

Since I began my career at a New Jersey newspaper, I can tell you that the Garden State has never been as solidly blue as it is now.

Cheryl pulls out all the stops with Obama endorsement, pushes new star-studded jersey campaign as race tightens

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., is doing everything she can to make her gubernatorial showdown with former GOP Rep. Jack Ciattarelli a referendum on the Trump administration. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

One problem Sherrill faces is that outgoing Governor Phil Murphy is very unpopular, and voters tend not to reward the party in power when they are under pressure.

Then there’s the Trump factor, which hangs over Tuesday’s races like a storm cloud.

While Ciattarelli called Trump a “charlatan” in 2015, they have since reconciled and the president has endorsed him. In 2012, he voted against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, but has since changed his position.

Cheryl is doing everything she can to make the election revolve around Trump. She attacks the president, knowing full well that Ciattarelli cannot separate himself from Trump’s agenda on any issue without drawing his ire.

Furthermore, Trump canceled a $16 billion tunnel between New Jersey and New York. This is the poison among North Jersey commuters.

If we take a look at the month-long government shutdown, and the weekend suspension of SNAP food benefits, you get a perfect storm for Cheryl.

But with Ciattarelli campaigning in minority communities, it won’t be easy.

Trump snubs Virginia GOP ticket entirely, while he has yet to formally endorse EARLE-SEARS

in virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanbergera former CIA officer, would typically cruise to victory against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl Sears, the first Black woman to win a statewide race. Trump did not support it.

But Spanberger has shown a distinct lack of courage, and it hurts her.

Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones is widely viewed as a disgrace. He texted a colleague that he had “two bullets” for then-House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert. Oh, and he would like to see his children die.

Spanberger could have insisted that he had withdrawn from the race, and that this was absolutely appalling behaviour. But she didn’t do that. She still supports Jay Jones. This made her look like just another self-serving political hack.

Embattled attorney general candidate Jay Jones remains a political albatross for Virginia Democrats. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

The press pretty much gave Spanberger a pass, making it a story for a day or two before moving on. But Earl Searsa veteran, threw most of her advertising budget on this issue alone, while also playing up the role of trans women in the men’s sports debate.

Spanberger is running against Trump’s economy as a way to raise the issue of affordability in the commonwealth. She called Trump’s tariffs “a massive tax increase on Virginians.”

Virginia isn’t as blue as New Jersey, but the northern suburbs certainly are, and it’s where countless federal employees have been laid off or not getting paid during the shutdown.

Spanberger is trying to convert some rural Trump voters. But as former Sen. Joe Manchin told Politico: “If your name has a ‘D’ in rural America — grassroots, rural, religious — they’re going to lose, no matter how they try to shift.”

Spanberger is still on pace to win by double digits, in a state that Kamala Harris won, so it appears she has weathered the storm.

A new poll in the key Virginia governor’s showdown suggests a single-digit race

Trump, exhausted by traveling abroad and mediating wars, has paid little attention to this week’s election, at least publicly. He did not campaign for anyone personally during the final period. It is as if he realizes he has a loss – potential losses in left-leaning states – and does not want to be tied to the outcome.

Barack Obamathe de facto champion of leaderless Democrats, campaigned for Spanberger and Sherrill on Saturday.

Former President Barack Obama joined Spanberger, pictured, and Sherrill on the campaign trail over the weekend. (Steve Helper/AP Photo)

This brings us to New York City A toxic, highly racialized, and extreme political melting pot.

Here Trump plays a role by constantly denouncing Zahran Mamdani, the front-runner who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, as a “communist.”

Republicans are already running against Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist. It is a gift from the political gods. They are making him the face of the Democratic Party.

Andrew Cuomowho learned politics from his father Mario, when I first met him, was beaten by Mamdani. The polls are suddenly tightening, but the charismatic Mamdani is still likely to win, largely because Republican Curtis Sliwa, a former no-chance guardian angel, refuses to withdraw from the election.

The hard-edged Cuomo is not an ideal candidate. He was forced to resign as governor four years ago after a torrent of sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.

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Finally, Hakeem Jeffries gave Mamdani a lukewarm endorsement, even though he does not recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, as he is the projected winner. If that happened, Mamdani would not be able to fulfill most of his promises of free goods and services, because he would need help from Albany and other centers of power.

This will be hung around the neck of every Democrat running in places much less liberal than the five boroughs. Republicans will see to it that Mamdani is the country’s most famous Democrat, a symbol, fairly or not, of a far-left party.

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Off-year elections are usually a snoozefest, testing turnout when the incumbent is not on the ballot. But this one has more twists and turns than the Los Angeles Dodgers Hanging on By their nails to beat the Toronto Blue Jays.