Obama hits the campaign trail for the first time in nearly a year as he stumps for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia governor elections
- Barack Obama will campaign for Phillip Murphy in New Jersey and Ralph Northam in Virginia
- Former president has stayed out of elections this year but stumped for Hillary Clinton in 2016
- Two gubernatorial elections coming up on November 7
- 'What's at stake is bragging rights headed into the 2018 midterm elections,' according to political prognosticator Larry Sabato
Barack Obama is returning to the political arena for the first time in months after keeping a low profile and avoiding direct confrontation with his White House successor.
The 56-year-old former president is scheduled to attend campaign rallies in New Jersey and Virginia on Thursday to support Democratic party candidates for governor.
Voters in both states will decide the gubernatorial contests on November 7, one year after Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton and stormed into the White House on a wave of anti-establishment fury.
Former president Barack Obama is making a return to the political arena with planned appearances at campaign rallies for two Democratic gubernatorial candidates
Barack Obama will campaign for Phillip Murphy (right) in New Jersey and Ralph Northam (left) in Virginia
The races are a potential indicator of voter sentiment ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, which will be a major test for Trump and his Republican party.
'There are only two big elections this year, for governor in NJ and VA,' political science professor Larry Sabato told AFP.
'What's at stake is bragging rights headed into the 2018 midterm elections,' Sabato said.
It is unclear what Obama's message will be. The former US leader has remained largely detached from the political debate since leaving office on January 20, in keeping with presidential tradition.
Trump has meanwhile used his first nine months in the White House to methodically demolish key Obama administration policies.
After three months of vacation Obama began writing his memoirs. He has said little in public and granted almost no interviews.
CAMPAIGN HISTORY: A young-looking Barack Obama campaigned for president in 2008
SECOND GO-ROUND: Then-President Obama stumped for his re-election in 2012
GRAY-HAIR: An older-looking Obama hit the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but couldn't help her get across the finish line
The few times Obama broke his silence was to comment on issues of national importance, such as immigration, health care and climate change.
But the 44th president may be tempted on Thursday to take aim at Trump, who has frequently and publicly excoriated his predecessor.
In New Jersey, the post of governor will almost certainly go to Democrat Philip Murphy, who would succeed Chris Christie, a Trump ally whose popularity has plummeted to record lows.
New Jersey 'is a runaway win for the Democrats, so Virginia is the only competitive contest. Obama is needed much more in Richmond than Trenton,' said Sabato, referring to the capitals of the two states.
Virginia is a pivotal state and the only southern US state that Clinton won in 2016. Its importance is amplified by its proximity to the US capital.
'If the GOP loses in Virginia, Trump will be widely blamed since he is so unpopular in a state carried by Hillary Clinton,' Sabato said.
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'Should the Republicans win Virginia´s governorship, then Trump will not be viewed as such a liability for the GOP in 2018.'
In Richmond, Obama will back Ralph Northam, a former military doctor who was credited Wednesday with a slight lead over Republican Ed Gillespie in a Quinnipiac poll.
Obama's impending arrival in the city of over 220,000 people sparked long lines of people seeking tickets to the campaign event.
Well aware of the importance of the vote, Trump has backed Gillespie and accused Northam of 'fighting for the violent MS-13,' a Hispanic gang, as well as 'sanctuary cities' that offer shelter to illegal immigrants.
Gillespie, a former advisor to president George W. Bush who has become a millionaire lobbyist, has so far kept a cautious distance from the mercurial Trump, whose backing recently failed to ensure the election of his pick in a Republican Senate race in Alabama.
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Virginians, Don’t Turn into California: Elect Ed Gillespie for Governor
Virginia, the Mother of presidents, the Tidewater Miracle which helped birth a nation conceived in liberty, could be turning into another third-world hell-hole. The state went blue in 2008 because of disgust with George W. Bush. Then this red state went Democratic for two more election cycles, especially when other blue states, which had flipped for Obama, then flipped back to Trump—that’s bad news for Virginia and the country.
I have written about my experience in the Old Dominion last month. Recognizing that an intense race for governor is taking place right now, I feel compelled to speak out on the upcoming governor’s election, not just on behalf of Virginians, but with a clear vision of awakening voters all over the country about the dangers of illegal immigration. This crucial plank in the regressive Left’s destructive agenda can still transform the country and destroy everything we care about.
Its effects are already apparent in Virginia. The traffic is terrible. I can’t believe how many freeways wanted me to pay tolls. Before arriving at my hotel, I witnessed at least four car accidents along the way. Virginians, you do not want Los Angeles-style traffic. You are not prepared for it, and more immigration, legal or illegal, will clog up your highways and byways like never before.
Everywhere I went in Fairfax County last month, I found service employees who barely spoke English. Even in Los Angeles I don’t run into so many resident foreigners. Then the Virginians themselves told me what was happening. One man—a health care professional—told me he was moving to North Carolina by next year. Why? Illegal aliens. The housing costs are skyrocketing, illegals are crowding into condos throughout the county area, and the crime rates with it!
I shake my head writing this—How can this happen in Virginia! These problems have bubbled over in California for the last ten years, even though California has been turning blue over the last 30 years, but what’s happening in Virginia is clear evidence that the Democratic Party has worked overtime to replicate the California model.
Fairfax County is ground zero for what the entire state of Virginia could turn into, and what much of California has already become. MS-13 gangs have taken over the local schools. One parent told me during my visit how quickly the entire region has changed. Kids are getting kidnapped and killed in Virginia suburbs. Virginia is transforming into South Los Angeles.
The Democratic Party in Virginia is not committed to public safety, but committed to expanding their power base, and they are following the California model to implement their plan. They are welcoming in illegal aliens and refugees (predominantly unvetted). They want to allow felons to vote, and the outgoing governor Terry McAuliffe pushed this proposal through by unconstitutional executive order.
They are pushing regressive leftism at the expense of the taxpaying residents, and all of this comes as a result of illegal immigration. Illegals are lining up near gas stations and liquor stores looking for work. A massive migration is pushing out solid, hard-working Virginians. What is the most alarming about all of this, however, is how rapidly the changes have overwhelmed the state. Immigration is such a flash point, that a little-known economic professor defeated the House Majority leader in a stunning upset during the primary in 2014!
Immigration is the one issue which statewide candidates in Virginia—and across the country—need to talk about. And there may be the clinching point for Gillespie to secure the win.
Now let’s look at the two candidates running for governor.
Ed Gillespie ran for US Senate in 2014, and nearly defeated Sen. Mark Warner, whom everyone had deemed invincible. Warner was double digits ahead, yet triumphed by less than one percent election night. Today, Gillespie is running only single digits behind Ralph Northam, the current Lieutenant Governor who lists himself as a veteran and pediatrician. Watching Northam’s saccharine commercials makes me sick. This man claims to care about the quality of life for Virginia’s children, but he cast the deciding vote against a statewide ban on sanctuary cities.
Now, does Gillespie have flaws? Sure. While he has connections to the grassroots Republican base, he also has major connections to the GOP Establishment. He was the RNC Chairman. He’s also made millions in lobbying firms. Seeming to avoid controversy early on, Gillespie stressed economic issues up to the June primary, but began pivoting to culture war concerns during the general election. Those issues are resonating with the public. Unlike some Republicans, he has learned his lesson, paying attention to the concerns of his conservative base, not just the beltway.
Gillespie has gone as far as affirming that he will protect the Confederate historical statues. That subject has been a winning issue. His real strength lies in that he has exposed at length the detrimental pro-illegal agenda proffered by his opponent. My advice to Gillespie: Don’t let the polls fool you. The media has been skewing data for the last five years, in desperate collusion with the corrupt, left-leaning globalist Democratic Party. Keep plugging away on the major issues. Keeping hitting hard on illegal immigration. Push hard on the public safety question, and make it a priority to ban all sanctuary jurisdictions in the Commonwealth.
I cannot stress this enough to the Commonwealth voters: Don’t let the Democrats take power in Alexandria. Your outgoing governor, Terry McAuliffe, has been a southern, more soft-spoken version of California’s own Jerry Brown, with voting rights granted to felons along with handouts to illegals. Another Democrat (with a like-minded legislature) will allow illegal aliens to have driver’s licenses, or even grant illegal alien youth in-state tuition and perhaps permit sanctuary cities. These lawless policies have ruined California, destroying the quality of life in our once Golden State. Virginia cannot weather another four years of Democratic leadership.
Virginians, don’t allow your state to turn into California! Make Virginia Great Again: Vote for Ed Gillespie for Governor!
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