Former President Obama hit the campaign trail on Saturday, rallying supporters for Democratic gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill at separate events in Virginia and New Jersey — while throwing some jabs at President Trump in the process.
“Every day, this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness,” Obama said at both rallies.
The former president appeared alongside Spanberger, a former House Democrat, at an early afternoon rally in Norfolk, Va., before traveling to Newark, N.J., to join Sherrill, a representative serving the 11th Congressional District. He sought to contrast the president’s actions with the records of the two candidates, adding that constituents in their states deserve “leaders who will tackle hard problems and bring people together instead of dividing them.”
Obama took many opportunities to throw shade at Trump, accusing him of using the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute his political opponents, slamming the $300 million ballroom project at the White House and noting the “weird” AI-generated videos like the one the president shared on Truth Social weeks ago depicting him dropping feces on New York City “No Kings” protesters from a fighter jet while wearing a crown.
“All of that is designed to distract you from the fact that your situation has not gotten better,” Obama told the crowd in Norfolk.
Responding to boos from the audience at both rallies, the former president brought back a trademark line from 2016: “Don’t boo, vote.”
“They don’t hear boos. They hear votes,” he said in Norfolk, though in Newark later on Saturday, he said Trump’s “No Kings Day” AI video is “not even worth booing about.”
“Let’s face it: Our country and our politics are in a pretty dark place right now,” Obama said in Newark.
At both rallies, he said Spanberger and Sherrill are the types of candidates America needs in the moment because they are “in it for the right reasons.”
“Now, her opponent? Not so much,” the former president said at both rallies, referring to Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) while in Norfolk and former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R) while in Newark.
Spanberger and Sherrill have both generally been polling ahead of their respective opponents, but the two campaigns have different points of intrigue heading into Election Day on Tuesday. Spanberger has built a strong lead over Earle-Sears, but Democrats are bracing for the possibility of split-ticket results because of the scandal surrounding the unearthed violent texts sent by Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, some high-profile Democrats like Obama are racing to boost Sherrill amid signs the race against Ciattarelli is tightening even more than expected. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is scheduled to speak in New Jersey on Sherrill’s behalf on Sunday.
At both Saturday rallies, Obama urged audience members to cast their ballots on Tuesday if they haven’t done so already through early voting.
“And then you’ve got to get all your friends, and your family, and that cousin who’s lying on the couch,” Obama said in Newark. “Just go, ‘Come on.’ Grab him off the couch.”
