NORFOLK, Virginia — Barack Obama reprised his role as the Democrats’ 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. His appearance in Norfolk, home to the nation’s largest Naval installation and two historically Black colleges, and later in Newark, the Garden State’s most populous city where nearly half of residents are Black — 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.
But Obama’s 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.
President Donald Trump made gains in both states last year, in part due to an improved performance among Black and Hispanic voters. 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 that drew so many of them in. But Republicans, too, have been courting these voters in an attempt to replicate Trump’s gains last year.
Obama underscored Spanberger and Sherrill’s focus on the economy as he sought to fire up voters. “Abigail’s 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,” Obama said without mentioning Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, by name.
“It’s like everyday is Halloween, except it’s all tricks and not treats,” the former president said, drawing laughs from the crowd, before adding: “I did warn y’all.”
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’s involvement in trying to direct an adrift Democratic Party. The call was first reported by The New York Times.
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 — and their blaming of Trump for voters’ unhappiness with it.
“President Obama is somebody who is widely respected across the state,” Sherrill told reporters Thursday. “He’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 — as now everybody here in New Jersey, because of President Trump, is set to see their premiums go up by 175 percent — is really telling.”
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 — in part pointing to the ongoing government shutdown.
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 — a dynamic that is particularly acute in Virginia, which has a large number of federal workers.
“You deserve a governor who will work with Democrats and Republicans to grow our economy and not stand by while Virginia’s top statewide offices are at risk of falling to Republicans,” Spanberger said during a recent rally.
Meanwhile, the crisis surrounding Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, has cast a shadow over the party’s efforts. Jones has been at the center of a scandal involving violent-themed text messages he sent in 2022 where he fantasized about shooting and killing a Republican lawmaker. While other speakers mentioned Jones, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), neither Obama nor Spanberger did, suggesting an attempt to downplay the controversy.
Obama’s return to the campaign trail has given many Democrats a jolt of excitement, but his presence has been pilloried by Republicans who suggest both nominees are incapable of leading Democrats into the future and are the reason they’re reliant on “the face of the Democrat Party from a decade ago.”
“Sherrill 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,” Courtney Alexander, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement to POLITICO.
Obama has been a consistent presence for gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia in recent cycles, regularly serving as the headliner even after he left office. He, along with a swarm of Democrats, many of whom have an eye on the 2028 presidential election, have come to rally for Spanberger and Sherrill in the closing stretch of the campaign. But the party’s more recent standard-bearers, former President Joe Biden and Harris, have largely stayed off the campaign trail.
“There’s no bigger voice, a more respected voice in our party, than Barack Obama,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said. “And so having him come in to rally the troops in the final few days, to thank the volunteers and the people who’ve been on the ground working so hard, and to really create, help remind folks of what’s at stake in this election, it never hurts.”
Gergory Svirnovskiy, Adam Wren and Daniel Han contributed to this report.