For Democrats like Leslie Frucht, President Donald Trump’s victory in 2024 was downright demoralizing. But she still felt compelled to rally in Paramus, New Jersey, on a recent Saturday for her party’s nominee for governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

“We have to do something, and you have to feel like you’re part of the fight,” Frucht said.

Democrats are hoping this year’s gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia fire up their supporters not just in those states, but also across the country as they look to move on from a brutal 2024 campaign cycle in which they lost the White House and the Senate, and as polls show the party remains broadly unpopular .

“Winning cures a lot of the ills, right? It shows people we’re back on track,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Marti

See Full Page