In Virginia and New Jersey governor's races, Democrats reprise a 2018 roadmap for opposing Trump 2.0
Abigail Spanberger launched her Virginia gubernatorial campaign at her high school alma mater near Richmond. 'I grew up walking the halls of Tucker High School,' the former congresswoman says in her first ad since securing the Democratic nomination, as she walks past a bank of lockers. Later, she highlights her background as a CIA case officer and then as a 'tough-minded, get-things-done lawmaker' in Congress.
A similar message is resonating in New Jersey, where Rep. Mikie Sherrill is also running for governor. Both women present themselves as Democrats capable of transcending the discord of Donald Trump's Washington. For national Democrats, who have deliberated for months on how to counter the former president's aggressive second administration, it's a reminder of what proved successful during Trump's first term.
Spanberger and Sherrill were prominent figures in the 2018 wave of center-left Democrats who helped flip House control from Republicans, appealing to moderates, progressives, and even anti-Trump conservatives. Now, they lead statewide tickets in races that could offer Democrats a familiar path forward as they look toward next year's midterms. 'There are a lot of similarities in Democrats' current position and the 2018 campaigns,' said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., who chaired his party's congressional campaign arm during Trump's first midterm election cycle.
The 2018 Democratic freshman class gained a net 40 seats, with record numbers of women and numerous candidates with national security and business backgrounds. A similar effort yielded a net gain of six governorships. The party's 2018 winners also included outspoken progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, elected in more liberal urban districts. But the balance of power shifted thanks to centrist candidates who carried the nation's suburbs and improved Democrats' performance in exurbs and even small-town, GOP-dominated areas.
Among Spanberger's and Sherrill's freshman colleagues were Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst who won a suburban Detroit seat before her election to the Senate last November; Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army officer who represents suburban Denver; and Rep. Angie Craig, who flipped a GOP-held seat in greater Minneapolis and is now running for Senate. Crow is now co-chairman of candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Similar résumés are appearing among new Democratic recruits. In Michigan, Bridget Brink, former US ambassador to Ukraine, launched her bid for Slotkin's old 7th Congressional District, emphasizing her international experience as a counterpoint to Trump.
Luján noted that the common thread has been recruiting 'real people – regular folks with incredible credentials and an ability to hold a real conversation with people around economic issues … around the kitchen table and campaign in any area.' So even as New Jersey's Sherrill labels her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, a 'Trump lackey' and Spanberger vows in a fundraising email to defeat 'Trump's agenda at the ballot box,' their broader appeal hinges on different arguments.
Sherrill has emphasized her biography: Naval Academy graduate, Navy Sea King helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, and mother of four. Her blue and gold yard signs feature a helicopter hovering above her name. She also promises an 'Affordability Agenda' to address voters' economic anxieties.
Spanberger, part of the Problem Solvers Caucus during her time on Capitol Hill, stresses her deal-making centrism, pledges to address economic disparities, and has promised to campaign in every Virginia congressional district, including those where Trump has dominated. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to President Trump,' Spanberger said in a primary campaign speech. 'It's not the job of the governor of Virginia to cater to a political party.'
In an Associated Press interview, Spanberger even criticized President Joe Biden for posturing by promising to eliminate student debt – something he couldn't achieve solely through presidential action. 'Don't make promises you can't keep,' she said. She also bristled when asked to define her political position, instead saying she sets goals by asking, 'How do I impact the most people in the fastest way possible?'
Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who worked for the Democratic Governors Association during the 2018 cycle, noted that Spanberger and Sherrill avoid the internal party struggle among progressives, liberals, and moderates. 'Most voters aren't really thinking about things along a simple left-right political spectrum, especially in statewide races,' Leopold said. 'People are looking for politicians who they think understand them and can get things done to help them.' He cited another 2018 Democratic standout: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Now a potential 2028 presidential contender, Whitmer gained national attention as a state legislator who spoke out about abortion rights and her experience of being raped as a college student. But she became a force in the governor's race with what Leopold called a 'brilliant and simple slogan: 'Fix the damn roads!''
Democrats acknowledge that candidates' military and national security experience helps neutralize Republican attacks painting all Democrats as too liberal or out of touch. 'These credentials for how they've served the country – they're just sharing who they are,' Luján said. Leopold added, 'It certainly gives a different definition of what the Democratic Party is to some voters.'
In Virginia, Republican nominee and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who, like Spanberger, would be the first woman to serve as the state's top elected official, is trying to link the Democratic nominee to her national party. Earle-Sears's social media frequently shares pictures of Spanberger and Biden together. She accuses Spanberger of effectively rubber-stamping Biden's legislative agenda while in Congress. 'Part of the challenge,' Spanberger counters, 'is that either my opponent or people who might be running anywhere who don't necessarily have things to run on are going to try and distract.'
Spanberger, Sherrill, and similar Democrats hope that most voters will see through the GOP attacks and appreciate their own branding efforts, like Fred Martucci, a retired glazier who voted early in Trenton, New Jersey. The seventy-five-year-old expressed a strong dislike for Trump. Regarding Sherrill, he said, 'She was a Navy helicopter pilot. You can't be a dummy – she's sharp.'
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