Obama urges NJ voters to elect Democrat Mikie Sherrill governor

Former President Barack Obama campaigns for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill in Newark on Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor)

NEWARK — Former President Barack Obama made a push for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill during a raucous campaign rally just days before Election Day.

“If you meet this moment, if you believe change can happen, you will not just elect Mikie Sherrill as your next governor, you will not just put New Jersey on a brighter path, you will set a glorious example for this nation,” Obama said Saturday to a packed house in the Essex County College gym.

More than 2,000 people attended the rally, cheering for the former president, chanting in support of Sherrill, and holding blue-and-white signs reading, “Hit the road, Jack,” and “Let’s land this,” a reference to Sherrill’s background as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Navy. Hundreds who couldn’t snag tickets watched on a screen outside.

Saturday’s event was the latest in a string of events to boost voter turnout ahead of Tuesday’s election, where Sherrill and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli are on the ballot. Polls show Sherrill ahead with a narrow lead, and Ciattarelli has been holding his own campaign stops with high-profile guests.

New Jersey is one of two states with a gubernatorial election this year, and they are often framed as a signal of voter sentiment one year after the presidential race and a year ahead of congressional elections.

Democrats from across the state came out to support Sherrill, including Democratic Reps. LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez, Frank Pallone, and Nellie Pou, and local lawmakers like state Sens. Teresa Ruiz and Vin Gopal. Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy, also spoke to the crowd in advance of the ex-president’s remarks. 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and former teachers union chief Sean Spiller — who all ran against Sherrill in the June Democratic primary — also attended. 

Sherrill, who walked on stage to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” was greeted with a standing ovation and chants of “Mikie! Mikie!” 

She largely repeated her standard stump-speech promises, saying she would stand up to President Donald Trump, make New Jersey more affordable, and fight for the middle class. She also restated her pledges to freeze utility rates on her first day in office, lower prescription drug costs, and improve public schools. 

Sherrill attacked Ciattarelli for aligning with Trump, who held a tele-rally in support of the GOP nominee last week. The crowd often booed at the mere mention of Republicans. 

“I’m feeling nothing but courage. New Jersey will need courage, courage to make a change,” Sherrill said during her 20-minute speech. “Anger and courage are the daughters of hope.” 

More than 1 million people have already cast ballots in New Jersey, either through early in-person voting or using mail ballots. Sherrill encouraged everyone to get their “friends, family, and frenemies” to get out and vote. 

Obama took the stage at around 7 p.m., hours after appearing in Virginia to support Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee in that state’s governor’s race. During his 40-minute speech, during which the audience in Newark remained standing, Obama told voters they “have a candidate worth being excited about.”

He slammed Trump for unleashing masked law enforcement to enforce immigration laws, wreaking havoc on federal workers and people dependent on food stamps during the government shutdown, and weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice to go after his political enemies.

Obama said the country and our politics are “in a pretty dark place right now.”

“The good news is there is something you can do about it, New Jersey, right here, right now. You’ve got a candidate for governor … someone who sees you and knows your struggles,” he said. 

Obama said Sherrill, if elected, would work “with anyone if it helps the people of New Jersey, and she will listen to everyone too, whether they voted for her or not.” 

He also took aim at Ciattarelli for running for governor three times — Obama joked he believes in “persistence, but at a certain point” — and said that during Ciattarelli’s current campaign, he had to “suck up” to Trump. 

“At the end of the day, what this election is about, what politics in a democracy is always about, is values,” he said. “What do we care about? What are we voting for? What do we prioritize? What are our core convictions?”

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