TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Barack Obama has endorsed the Democratic candidates for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, seeking to boost Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger ahead of high-stakes elections next month.

The two-term Democratic former president appears in digital ads for the candidates, who are running in the only governors races this year. The odd-year contests are seen as a barometer of how voters feel about President Donald Trump and Republicans who control Congress ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Sherrill faces Republican former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump . The president participated in a telephone town hall for Ciattarelli ahead of his GOP primary win, and is expected to hold a tele-town hall for him again before the Nov. 4 election.

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