People shop in Bayonne, New Jersey, on April 8. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images/File

The Democratic candidates in this fall’s top statewide races have chosen a relentless focus on one word: affordability.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill rolled out a “Save You Time and Money” plan in New Jersey. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger turned to “Affordable Virginia” as the name for her economic proposal. Their ads about the need to bring down costs are running on repeat in both states.

The cost-of-living focus in New Jersey and Virginia mirrors a messaging push seen in the New York City mayoral contest where Zohran Mamdani, the party’s nominee and a democratic socialist, has been hailed by liberals as a model for how to talk about affordability in buzzy and organic ways.

But Sherrill and Spanberger,

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