Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie meets with supporters in Abingdon, Va., Monday, Nov. 6, 2017 prior to Tuesday’s election. (David Crigger/The Bristol Herald-Courier via AP)RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia and New Jersey are set to pick new governors Tuesday in what could be a telling referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s political popularity a year after he was elected.
Democrats in both states have tried to tie their opponents to the president and are eager to prove they can harness anti-Trump energy into success at the polls. Republicans are looking to show they have a winning blueprint in blue-leaning states. Trump lost both states in last year’s presidential race and has not campaigned in either contest.
Tuesday’s results could impact how both parties run campaigns in next year’s midterm election, when control of Congress and numerous statehouses are up for grabs.
THE CONTESTS
In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Obama administration ambassador to Germany, holds a double-digit lead in most polls over Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. The Garden State is reliably Democratic, but has twice elected Republican Gov. Chris Christie. Christie is term-limited from running again.