GARFIELD, N.J. (AP) — Democrats and Republicans are testing dueling playbooks in fall elections that will decide the leadership of Virginia and New Jersey — and perhaps a new direction for the parties heading into next year's midterms.

In both states, Democratic candidates for governor are distancing themselves from their party's far-left wing — and its most divisive people and priorities — in campaigns focused on rising costs and the economy under President Donald Trump's leadership. The move reflects what some operatives see as a critical lesson from the 2024 national elections, when Democrats faced a backlash for supporting so-called “woke” social policies.

As Democrats race to the center, their GOP opponents in both Democratic-leaning states are largely unwilling to separate themselv

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