Hold And Flip!

Best friends forever. Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won their gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Democrats rebound.

Democrats secure Virginia and hold New Jersey.

Former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Shirrell (D-NJ) are governor-elects. The two best friends won over President Donald J. Trump's endorsed nominees.

Issues that drove voters out should be the most important. 

1. The government shutdown.

2. Economic uncertainty.

3. Affordability.

4. Israel.

5. Political violence.

6. President Donald J. Trump being tone deaf.

Spanberger, who served as a U.S. Representative since 2017 until her resignation in 2025 will become the first woman to be governor of the state. In Virginia, a governor serves only one term. Any former governor can run for governor again only after an incumbent governor serves four years.

Spanberger first came onto the political scene in 2018 when she ousted former Republican Rep. Dave Brat in the state’s 7th Congressional District. She served in Congress, where she had a history of working with Republicans, from 2019 to the beginning of 2025. 

Winsome Earle-Sears tried the MAGA way and it failed.

Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign kicked off two years ago, and while there was speculation Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) was considering a run as well, the former congresswoman went unchallenged in the primary. 

Her campaign was defined by its highly disciplined nature, with Spanberger staying focused on her affordability message and defending Virginia from the impacts of President Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce. 

Winsome Earle-Sears, the outgoing Virginia lieutenant governor hoped that culture wars and her Blackness would win over voters frustrated with Democrats not doing enough.

The government shutdown affected Virginians. 

Jack Ciattarelli and Trump. He tried the governor thing three times. He is done.

Sherrill, a fourth-term congresswoman representing a district in northern New Jersey, fended off a competitive challenge from Ciattarelli, who ran for governor for a third time after narrowly losing to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in 2021. Murphy is term-limited and couldn’t run again.

Jack Ciattarelli will now be labeled a perennial candidate. A three times defeat makes him toxic if he runs for any other office. Mind you Mitt Romney came back from politicial death to be a Utah senator after running for president twice, running for Massachusetts senator and serving one term as governor of that state. We haven't heard the last of Ciattarelli.

The economic uncertainty affected New Jersians. 

The president was mostly hands off when it came to campaigning for Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears.

Trump reacted to the defeat in his tone deaf fashion.

He basically stated he it's not his fault for Republicans losing. Matter of fact, he doubles down.

Zohran Mamdani’s defeat of Andrew Cuomo lands another Trump backed candidate defeat.

Trump has a job approval of 35% and his unfavorably is 64%. That means 1% don't have seem to care about him.