Obama supports Sherrill and Spanberger in 2025 gubernatorial elections only

Former President Barack Obama officially endorsed both Democratic candidates running in this cycle’s only two gubernatorial elections, following the tradition of the former president holding his endorsement card close to his chest in the run-up to the election.

“Mikie’s integrity, courage and commitment to service are what we need right now in our leaders,” Obama said in a video ad released Friday by the gubernatorial campaign of New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill. “Mikie Sherrill is the right choice for your next governor.

“Mikie is a mom who will lower costs for New Jersey families,” Obama continued in the ad. “As a federal prosecutor and former Navy helicopter pilot, she worked to keep our communities safe.”

New Jersey and Virginia are the only states holding gubernatorial elections in the 2025 off-season election year, with Sherrill and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia as the only Democrats running.

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Former President Barack Obama continued his tradition of official political support, supporting Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Obama endorsed Spanberger Thursday in two ads that also targeted Republicans for “attacking abortion rights.”

“Virginia’s elections are among the most important in the country this year. We know Republicans will continue to attack abortion rights and women’s rights. That’s why it’s important to have the right governor, and I’m proud to support Abigail Spanberger,” Obama said in an ad supporting the Virginia Democrat.

“Republican policies raise costs for working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” he said in another ad endorsing Spanberger.

Following Obama’s support for Spanberger, the Republican challenger in the race, current Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a campaign manager, told Fox Digital on Thursday, “Abigail Spanberger is scared, and it shows.”

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“After losing support across Virginia, she is leaning on liberal elites to try to save her collapsing campaign,” said Peyton Vogel, press secretary for Earle-Sears. “This is a desperate play by a candidate who is running out of support, ideas and time. Voters see through it, and that’s why Winsome Earle-Sears is thriving.”

New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign also blasted Obama’s support in a comment on Fox News Digital on Friday.

“If anything underscores the lack of enthusiasm around Mikie Sherrill’s arrogant, out-of-touch campaign, it’s that she thinks the support of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton actually matters to middle- and working-class New Jersey residents who have been kicked in the teeth by eight years of one-party Democratic rule making our state more expensive and less safe,” said Chris Russell, campaign strategist for Ciattarelli, at Fox News Digital. “Spoiler alert: They don’t. If anything, it energizes our voters even more.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended fundraising events for both Democratic gubernatorial candidates in October.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., have launched gubernatorial bids for their respective states in the 2025 elections. (Tom Williams/CQ roll call)

Since leaving the Oval Office, Obama has generally held his endorsement card close to his chest.

He endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June 2016 after months of supporting Clinton without officially offering his support.

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Obama remained coy during the 2020 election about who he would support, saying he would not support anyone during the primary. While Democratic candidates such as former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders withdrew from the race, Obama officially endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden, after he became the party’s presumptive nominee.

Obama notably became more involved with the Biden 2020 campaign in his final weeks, holding his first in-person event amid the pandemic in Pennsylvania just days before the election.

The 44th president called on Democrats to “chill out” during the 2020 primary season and wait to see which candidate wins the primary process. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The 44th president called on Democrats to “chill out” during the 2020 primary season and wait to see which candidate wins the primary process.

“There will be differences, but I want to make sure we keep that in mind with respect to the ultimate goal, which is to defeat a president and a party that I think have radically moved away from a lot of the fundamental traditions and values ​​and institutional commitments that built this country,” Obama said in 2019 at a Democratic fundraiser in California. “Compared to this objective, the differences we currently see are relatively minor.

“Everyone needs to calm down about the candidates,” he added, “but prepare for the prospect of rallying behind whoever comes out of this process.”

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During the unprecedented 2024 election cycle, Obama did not provide further formal support for Biden’s re-election, but joined him for campaign events. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race as concerns about his mental acuity and age grew, with Obama once again remaining mum for days on whether he would endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.

Former President Barack Obama speaks with President-elect Donald Trump before the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter in Washington on January 9, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024, and endorsed Harris to run in his place that same day in a separate social media post. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama endorsed Harris in a video message on July 26, 2024, as party members and political pundits waited with bated breath for support from the Obamas.

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Harris released a memoir in September titled “107 Days” that detailed her short 2024 campaign cycle and noted in her book that Obama did not offer immediate support, instead advising that she needed to “earn” the nomination and think about the “timing” of it.

“In the saddle! Joe did what I hoped he would do. But you have to earn it,” Obama said when Harris spoke to him, according to the book. “Michelle and I are supportive, but we’re not going to put our finger on the scale right now. Let’s let Joe enjoy his moment. Think about the timing.”

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Obama also supported former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s failed 2021 re-election campaign in late October 2024, as that election began to lose ground to Republican Glenn Youngkin as education issues took center stage.

The 2025 gubernatorial elections have made both Democrats potential party leaders if they prove successful in their races, after the Democratic Party was in disarray following defeats at the 2024 polls that handed victory to President Donald Trump.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office Friday for additional comment on the governor’s endorsements, but did not immediately receive a response.