前总统巴拉克·奥巴马和前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯在周六的不同集会上，呼吁民主党人在弗吉尼亚州和新泽西州的州长竞选中投票，并支持重划加利福尼亚州国会地图的提议。
他们做出这些努力的同时，唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统的政治运作也在新泽西州和弗吉尼亚州的州长竞选中投入了数百万美元的选民投票率，以努力在这些选票上推动共和党候选人。
周六下午，奥巴马在弗吉尼亚州诺福克为民主党候选人、前美国众议员阿比盖尔·斯潘伯格举行的集会上发表讲话，他对数千人说:“我们的国家和我们的政治现在处于非常黑暗的境地...这个白宫每天都推出一批新的无法无天、鲁莽、卑鄙和纯粹的疯狂。”
奥巴马抨击特朗普对经济的处理，以及政府裁员努力对弗吉尼亚州的影响，弗吉尼亚州是数十万联邦工作人员的家园。
“经济对特朗普的一些亿万富翁朋友和金融兄弟以及关系良好的公司来说真的很好，他们的税单减少了，再也不用担心这些讨厌的监管机构了...成千上万的联邦雇员，包括弗吉尼亚州的许多人，因为亿万富翁的减税而失去了工作。
斯潘伯格在讲话中试图将她的对手——现任弗吉尼亚州副州长Winsome Earle-Sears——与特朗普联系起来。
斯潘伯格说:“我们不需要一直紧跟本届政府每一步的人。”厄尔-西尔斯没有与特朗普一起竞选，只得到总统的口头支持。
奥巴马后来参加了新泽西州民主党州长候选人米姬·谢里尔周六晚上在纽瓦克举行的竞选集会。他对特朗普、共和党人以及特朗普政府下的经济状况发表了类似的言论。
在称赞谢里尔的资历时，奥巴马的言论出现了分歧，他告诉人群，谢里尔是“那种理解使命、知道她应该为谁服务、没有很多时间找借口的领导人。这正是新泽西现在所需要的。”
奥巴马还花时间将谢里尔的竞选对手、共和党候选人、前州议员杰克·西塔雷利与特朗普联系起来。Ciattarelli曾表示支持特朗普，但也表示如果需要，他愿意与总统提出分歧。
“唐纳德·特朗普称米基的对手‘百分百MAGA’。”不是一个很好的认可。当他被要求给特朗普政府打分时，米基的对手说他们应该得到A，”奥巴马说。
但是共和党人在州长竞选中也有重大举措。
据知情人士向美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)证实，唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统的政治运作正在为选举前几天新泽西州和弗吉尼亚州的州长竞选投入数百万选民，因为民主党候选人在两场竞选中都领先。
熟悉特朗普政治运作的消息人士告诉美国广播公司，“特朗普结盟实体”正在花费七位数在每个州进行投票，他们认为这是在明年中期选举前测试某些竞选策略的机会。
Axios是第一个报道投资。
福克斯新闻频道据报告的特朗普周四与即将离任的州长格伦·扬金(Glenn Youngkin)一起举行了一场电话集会，以推动弗吉尼亚州的共和党候选人;他之前也做过同样的事情来帮助花园州的共和党州长候选人Ciattarelli。
“你所在的州即将举行一场非常重要的州长选举，你需要投票给杰克，”特朗普在新泽西州的电话集会上说，称Ciattarelli是一个“特殊的人”，将产生“难以置信的结果”。
参与特朗普政治运作的人明白，他们正在努力克服困难，例如，尽管新泽西州的民调正在收紧，但民主党人举行大规模的选民登记领先近90万。
“特朗普总统举行了远程集会，因为没有人像特朗普总统那样激励选民。他是一个投票机器，正如2024年选举的历史性结果所证明的那样——但他不在选票上，”知情人士说。
在全国范围内，前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯和其他当选官员一起参加了周六的集会支持加州的投票提议，这可能会重划该州的国会地图这是她卸任后首次重大政治亮相之一。
加州人正在就这一提议进行投票，以确定该州是否会采用新的国会地图，重新划分共和党控制的五个选区，以潜在地允许民主党在中期选举中翻转它们。该提议的反对者表示，该措施将从选民手中夺走谁代表居民的控制权。
哈里斯告诉人群，该提议“是为了提醒人们，我们拒绝跪在暴君的脚下。”
“那不是我们做的。我们支持我们国家的建国原则。我们相信美国宪法。我们相信投票的力量，并准备在必要时以毒攻毒。”
哈里斯后来补充说，“其他州也需要加快步伐...这场斗争不是坐在一边抱怨，“哦，他们在作弊。”这不是问题的关键。不是那种派对。"
Barack Obama, Kamala Harris campaign for Democrats, as Donald Trump's political operation invests in turnout
Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris, in separate rallies on Saturday, called for Democrats to turn out to vote in Virginia's and New Jersey's races for governor and for the proposition that would redraw California's congressional map.
Their efforts came as President Donald Trump's political operation also invests millions in voter turnout for New Jersey and Virginia's gubernatorial races, in an effort to boost the Republican candidates on those tickets.
Speaking at a rally for Democratic candidate and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday afternoon, Obama told a crowd of thousands, "Our country and our politics are in a pretty dark place right now... Every day this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness."
Obama hit Trump on his handling of the economy, and the effect that the administration's layoff efforts had on Virginia, a state home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
"The economy has been really good for some of Trump's billionaire pals and for finance bros and well-connected corporations who've seen their tax bills go down and don't have to worry about all these pesky regulators anymore... Hundreds of thousands of federal employees, including a lot of people here in Virginia, have lost their jobs to pay for those billionaire tax cuts," Obama said.
In her remarks, Spanberger sought to link her opponent -- current Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears -- to Trump.
"We do not need someone who has been in lockstep with this administration every step of the way," Spanberger said. Earle-Sears has not campaigned with Trump and has received only a verbal endorsement from the president.
Obama later joined New Jersey Democratic candidate for governor U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill for a campaign rally in Newark on Saturday evening. He delivered similar remarks about Trump, Republicans and the state of the economy under the Trump administration.
Obama's remarks diverged when praising Sherrill for her qualifications, telling the crowd that Sherrill is "the kind of leader who understands the mission, who knows who she is supposed to serve, who doesn't have a lot of time for excuses. And that is exactly what New Jersey needs right now."
Obama also took the time to link Sherrill's opponent in the race, Republican candidate and former state assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, to Trump. Ciattarelli has spoken in support of Trump but has also said he'd be willing to bring up differences with the president if needed.
"Donald Trump called Mikie's opponent '100% MAGA.' Not a great endorsement. When he was asked to give the Trump administration a grade, Mikie's opponent said they deserved an A," Obama said.
But Republicans are also making major moves in the gubernatorial races.
President Donald Trump's political operation is investing millions in voter turnout for New Jersey and Virginia's gubernatorial races mere days before the election, as Democratic candidates lead in both contests, a source familiar confirmed to ABC News.
The source familiar with Trump's political operation told ABC that "Trump aligned entities" are spending seven figures to turn out the vote in each state, which they see as opportunities to test certain campaign tactics ahead of next year's midterms.
Axios was thefirst to reportthe investments.
Fox Newsreportedthat Trump held a tele-rally on Thursday alongside outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin to boost Virginia's Republican candidates; he previously did the same to boost the Garden State's GOP gubernatorial candidate Ciattarelli.
"You have a very important election for governor coming up in your state, and you need to go vote for Jack," Trump said during the New Jersey tele-rally, calling Ciattarelli a "special guy" that will produce "unbelievable results."
Those involved with Trump's political operation understand they are working against tough odds, and even though polls are tightening in New Jersey, for instance, that Democratshold a sizable voter registrationlead -- by nearly 900,000.
"President Trump has held tele-rallies because no one energizes voters like President Trump. He is a turnout machine, as was demonstrated by the historic results of the 2024 election -- but he is not on the ballot," said the source familiar.
Across the country, former Vice President Kamala Harris joined other elected officials at a rally on Saturday insupport of the ballot proposition in California that could redraw the state's congressional map-- in one of her first major political appearances since leaving office.
Californians are voting on the proposition to determine if the state will adopt a new congressional map that redraws five Republican-held districts to potentially allow Democrats to flip them in the midterms. Opponents of the proposition have said the measure will take control over who represents residents out of the hands of voters.
Harris told the crowd that the proposition "is about reminding folks that we refuse to kneel at the foot of a tyrant."
"That's not what we do. We stand for the principles upon which our nation was founded. We believe in the Constitution of the United States. We believe in the power of the vote, and we are prepared, when necessary, to fight fire with fire."
Harris added later that "other states need to step up, too ... this fight is not about sitting by and complaining, 'Oh, they're cheating.' That's not what this is about. It's not that kind of party."
