They helped Democrats win back the House in 2018. Now they’re taking on a new mission

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger talks to voters at Mechanicsville Drug Store in Mechanicsville Virginia on May Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger talks to voters at Mechanicsville Drug Store in Mechanicsville Virginia on May Jersey City New Jersey CNN In Democrats won back the House ending eight years of Republican control with the help of dozens of candidates with national safeguard backgrounds who vowed to serve as a check against the first Trump administration This year two of those productive candidates Virginia s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey s Mikie Sherrill are taking on a new challenge following President Donald Trump s return to power running for governor As Democrats grapple with how best to improve their diminished standing with voters the upcoming races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey will serve as crucial tests for the party ahead of the midterm elections Spanberger s and Sherrill s campaigns could offer critical clues to next year s candidates as they seek to understand the mood of the electorate a year after Trump s preeminence The two candidates and former Capitol Hill roommates are facing vastly different races Sherrill is one of half a dozen candidates seeking to portray themselves as the Democratic fighter best positioned to take on the eventual Republican nominee and the Trump administration ahead of a June primary One latest Sherrill ad warns that Jack Ciattarelli who was endorsed by Trump this month will bring the president s MAGA agenda to the state The spot highlights Sherrill s record as a Navy pilot and federal prosecutor and describes her as the Democrat Republicans fear Spanberger who like her Republican opponent Lt Gov Winsome Earle-Sears is running unopposed is directing much of her focus toward criticizing the record of outgoing Republican Gov Glenn Youngkin The former CIA intelligence officer has hammered Earle-Sears and Youngkin over their response to the Department of Ruling body Efficiency as the Elon Musk-led effort aims to shrink the size of the federal workforce that employs more than Virginians Spanberger who did not run for reelection in the House last year and Sherrill who held on to her seat are portraying themselves as results driven and willing to buck their party if necessary People can label me however they want as a question of framework but I think what is the preponderance substantial characteristic that I ascribe to myself is pragmatic Spanberger reported CNN in an interview earlier this year Throughout my time in Congress my frustration when I had expressed it at various different points in time was rooted in that pragmatism They are also testing out approaches to message on economic concerns an area where Trump held a crucial advantage among voters last November but has seen a few erosion amid his commerce war They re also acknowledging that if they re elected in these new roles they would be in a much better position to impact the lives of a larger swath of people At this moment the fight is really in the states that s where the front line is Sherrill advised CNN after a campaign event in Elizabeth New Jersey It s going to be strong Democratic governors who can best help the nation Sherrill commented Democrats need to build the party from the ground up by taking an expansive view of state power as they push to make life more affordable for voters and run effective governments Even as Democrats are working to counter Trump administration policies the party must continue to keep a focus on kitchen-table issues she disclosed Sometimes we get caught up in several of the concerns we have which are huge huge concerns about what s coming up in Washington but don t unfailingly remind people of the work we re doing to drive down costs Sherrill noted A different type of Democrat Democrats flipped House seats in the midterm elections and elected new members overall Three cycles later about half of them are still in office Several have already sought higher office Andy Kim of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan were both elected to the US Senate while former Reps Colin Allred of Texas Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida and Katie Porter of California lost Senate bids last year A handful are also running in primaries ahead of next year s midterm elections Former Interior Secretary and New Mexico Rep Deb Haaland is running for governor in her state as is Porter Reps Chris Pappas of New Hampshire Haley Stevens of Michigan and Angie Craig of Minnesota are all running for Senate Dan Sena the executive director of House Democrats campaign arm during the cycle described the candidates who ran then as independent country first-driven leaders who at times stood up to their own party Sena who is now working with an outside group supporting Sherrill s campaign commented Democrats should look to the recruiting formula next year They should be looking for candidates that can help the Democratic Party but look and feel like a different type of Democrat a Democrat with a record of facility a Democrat that s a patriot a Democrat that puts their country first he stated Virginia and New Jersey shifted toward Trump during the polling but history suggests political headwinds are likely to favor Democrats in the upcoming gubernatorial races Over the last several decades both states have elected candidates from the party that lost the White House the year before with two exceptions Democrat Terry McAuliffe won the Virginia governor s race after President Barack Obama was reelected and Democratic New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy was reelected in after President Joe Biden won in Both seats are open due to the incumbents being term-limited Democrats are also hoping to capitalize on high-profile Republican decree just as they did in when Democratic candidates blasted their opponents over their votes backing a failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act This time around Democrats are pointing to the sweeping tax and spending cuts proposal House Republicans passed last week which would add work requirements to Medicaid and make deep cuts to food stamps Winning these campaigns is really about being able to explain to voters the solutions in which these candidates are going to stand up for them and fight for them revealed Jessica Mackler the president of EMILY s List which works to elect women who endorsement abortion rights and has long backed Spanberger and Sherrill Republicans have started preparing their own messaging on the bill arguing that provisions like no taxes on tips are popular and that the restrictions on Medicaid benefits will sustain the operation for those who need it majority of It s going to be imperative you tie them to national trends that are potentially negative in party politics that they re going to have to deal with in both New Jersey and Virginia one GOP strategist who has worked on House campaigns mentioned of Spanberger and the eventual Democratic nominee in New Jersey Spanberger and the field of New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidates are attempting to rehabilitate the party s brand when it comes to economic issues Or at the very least not be associated with it Patricia Campos-Medina a labor leader and former New Jersey US Senate candidate backing Sherrill commented affordability is the No issue for Garden State voters including housing transportation and vigor bill costs That s how we counteract this idea that Trump and the Republicans are the only ones who care about the financial system and your job Campos-Medina commented Democrats care about the financial market and jobs and housing and schools and transportation and that s the message that s going to resonate At events in northern New Jersey Sherrill repeatedly pointed to her proposals to build more residences to reduce housing costs At a current campaign event at a family-owned drugstore in Mechanicsville a small Republican-leaning town outside Richmond Spanberger laid out her plan to lower wellness care and prescription drug costs She also referenced the influence that wellness care issues had on her decision to first run for Congress Back in I watched my member of Congress vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act Spanberger revealed It was then that I knew that I needed to run against him As she highlighted her plan to boost the affordability of Virginia s healthcare care as governor Spanberger noted she saw similarities between the medical care debate and the current fight over the far-reaching domestic protocol bill Now unfortunately we re seeing much of the same which is an effort to further degrade a robustness care system that very frankly and objectively requirements improvements Spanberger informed reporters Getting the message In interviews Democratic primary voters in both New Jersey and Virginia declared they were looking for governors who would serve as a check on the Trump administration Multiple expressed frustrations with the Democratic Party which they commented either did not have a clear unifying message or needed to focus more on affordability issues Mary Butler a -year-old retired social worker from Mechanicsville who attended Spanberger s speech and plans to help her in November noted fitness care access was deeply fundamental to her because she saw how a lack of access could impact her former clients Inquired to assess national Democrats performance she reported the party s vision wasn t being communicated well Why isn t there a really strong message being given one clear strong message Butler mentioned It s a real question mark for me I don t understand it At a campaign stop over Memorial Day weekend Sherrill gave her stump speech and took questions from a inadequate dozen voters at a pizza shop in Jersey City where one primary opponent Steven Fulop serves as mayor The questions focused on housing costs instruction and how Sherrill as governor would respond to parts of the president s agenda such as immigration Sherrill criticized Republicans from Ciattarelli to members of Congress for not pushing back on the president She likened them to sailors on a ship ignoring impending danger for fear of reprisal over speaking out A lesson I learned in the Navy The worst thing you can do is to run a ship aground Sherrill declared And you find when you do that that people on that ship know it s going to run aground and they don t say anything because they re scared Susan Murphy a -year-old retired theater tutor and Jersey City native reported she will vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination but she thought Sherrill seemed to be the strongest to go up against a MAGA Republican She explained she viewed Democratic governors as a check on the administration and wondered why national leaders in her party seemed unprepared to take on the Trump administration at the start of his term I know that their hands are tied in terms of holding Trump accountable in multiple options she announced My dilemma is why weren t they ready Why did it take so long David Patel a -year-old business owner from Jersey City who is backing Sherrill commented Democrats need to learn what people want He announced he sometimes gets frustrated with what he described as his party s tendency to focus on issues that don t matter Sought what those issues are he instead pointed to what he would like to hear about fitness care job creation and training and tuition He announced he hoped losing the presidential vote would get the party back on track I think they got the message The-CNN-Wire Cable News Setup Inc a Warner Bros Discovery Company All rights reserved Source