Shafaqna India: Former President Barack Obama touted Democratic candidates for governor in two states at campaign rallies on Saturday, urging voters in next week’s election to reject what he called the lawlessness and recklessness of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Obama, the two-term president still highly popular among Democrats, laid out a biting indictment of the Trump administration at rallies for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey candidate Mikie Sherrill.
“Let’s face it, our country and our policy are in a pretty dark place right now,” Obama told a roaring crowd of Spanberger supporters at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Its hard to know where to start,” he said, “because every day this White House offers people a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness.“
Obama blasted what he called Trump’s shambolic tariff policy and deployment of National Guard troops to US cities. He criticised Republicans in Congress for failing to check Trump even when they know he’s out of line.
He said he was surprised at how quickly business leaders, law firms and universities opted to bend the knee to appease Trump.
At an event in Newark, New Jersey to support Sherrill, Obama struck many of the same themes as he continued his criticisms of the Trump White House. “Its like every day is Halloween, except it’s all tricks and no treats,“ he said.
The former president occasionally dipped into sarcasm in mentioning Trump decisions such as remodeling parts of the White House even as a federal shutdown continues.
“In fairness, he has been focused on some critical issues, like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don’t get mud on their shoes, and building a $300 million ballroom,” Obama said.
Polls show Spanberger, 46, with a sizable lead over the Republican candidate, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, 61. Spanberger, a former CIA officer, was a congresswoman for six years.
Most polls show Sherrill with a single-digit lead over Republican Jack Ciatterelli, 63, a former state assemblyman making his third consecutive run for the governors seat.
Republicans in New Jersey have been encouraged in recent years by some statewide races that were closer than expected. Although New Jersey Democrats have a 2-to-1 edge in registered voters, Ciatterelli lost by only three percentage points in the 2021 gubernatorial race, and Donald Trump lost New Jersey by just six points in last year’s presidential election.
Powerful figure
Obama, who remains a powerful figure in today’s Democratic Party, took the stage to robust applause in Virginia and then New Jersey to stump for two candidates in gubernatorial elections seen as critical bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The 64-year-old quickly noted how Americans frustrated with rising inflation, energy costs and home prices were “willing to take a chance” on a national candidate like Donald Trump who promised relief from such challenges. But nine months into Trump’s second term, “has any of that gotten better?” Obama asked in Norfolk, Virginia as the crowd responded: “No.” “Is the economy working better for you? Because it sure has gotten better for Trump and his family,” he said.
“For ordinary families, costs haven’t gone down, they’ve gone up — thanks to this shambolic tariff policy,” Obama added, refering to the import duties Trump has imposed on various nations.
Four states hold off-year elections on November 4, including New York, where a dramatic mayoral race will determine who runs the country’s most populous city.
Until this weekend, Obama had played a relatively subdued role in the campaigning.
On Saturday he stumped for two female gubernatorial hopefuls: former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, and current US House Democrat Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey.
Spanberger holds a roughly nine point lead over her Republican rival, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, while Sherrill is locked in a tighter race against businessman Jack Ciattarelli, according to poll averages. “New Jersey, it’s time to point America in a better direction,” Obama said in Newark.