GARFIELD, N.J. 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 themselves from Trump,

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