Copyright The Boston Globe
New Jersey voters are choosing a successor to two-term Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who is term-limited. For context, Murphy is about as unpopular as Trump in the Garden State, which is what has made things so interesting. Democrat Mikie Sherrill, the congresswoman and former Navy pilot, has run a disciplined campaign built on competence and suburban pragmatism. She has emphasized property tax relief, small business aid, and abortion rights. Her Republican opponent, Ciattarelli, is a familiar face: He nearly beat Murphy in 2021 and has spent the past four years courting independents and hammering away at the state’s cost of living. The race is considered a toss-up. A Monmouth University poll last week found Sherrill leading Ciattarelli 49 to 46, within the margin of error. The campaigns have shattered spending records, each topping $50 million in ad buys. What’s being debated is as much cultural as fiscal: whether New Jersey’s middle-class voters — squeezed by housing costs and skeptical of Washington — still feel aligned with the Democratic brand. Ciattarelli has kept Trump at arm’s length while adopting his populist tone, describing Trenton as “the swamp’s little brother.” Sherrill, meanwhile, warns that a Ciattarelli victory would undo abortion protections and climate initiatives. New Jersey off-year elections have a knack for humbling overconfident parties. If Democrats lose, it would send an unmistakable warning flare ahead of 2026. If they win narrowly, it will still show erosion at the margins that once defined their suburban firewall. Probably nowhere in the country is the government shutdown felt more directly than in Virginia. There are nearly half a million civilian and military federal government employees who live in the commonwealth who either haven’t been paid in the last month or are about to miss a paycheck. So far that has benefited the Democratic nominee, Abigail Spanberger, a three-term congresswoman from the Richmond suburbs known for her centrist appeal and background as a former CIA officer. Republicans picked Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. Democrats have tried to link Earle-Sears to Trump, who is unpopular in the state. Republicans have tried to tie Spanberger to the Democratic candidate for attorney general, who has been embroiled in a text message scandal in which he sent messages that appeared to advocate for political violence. Polls have consistently found that Spanberger has a double-digit lead. Material from the Associated Press was included in this report. James Pindell is a Globe political reporter who reports and analyzes American politics, especially in New England.
