(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former US President Barack Obama engaged in lively exchanges with the crowd during a campaign rally for Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill on Saturday.“Oh, I love you, but hold on. I heard you, girl. Just settle down. I'm here to talk to everybody, not just you. I mean, you look cute. But I'm married. Michelle's fine too,” Obama joked, pointing to a woman in the audience.

Obama has been encouraging voters to elect Democratic governors in Virginia and New Jersey ahead of Tuesday's polls - elections that could indicate the national mood ten months into Donald Trump's second presidency, and one year before midterm elections that could reshape it.

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While Obama campaigned for Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, leaving Republican candidates Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey to campaign independently.

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Meanwhile, in California, campaigners were making a final push before a statewide referendum on whether to redraw congressional boundaries to favour Democrats - an initiative supported by Governor Gavin Newsom. The move forms part of a broader national redistricting battle that began after Trump urged Republican-led states to secure his party's control of the House of Representatives in 2026.

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Speaking at an afternoon rally in Norfolk, Obama praised Spanberger - a former congresswoman and CIA case officer - as a dedicated leader focused on improving Virginians' financial wellbeing and quality of life. He devoted much of his 30-minute address to criticising Trump for what he called“lawlessness and recklessness” and a“shambolic” economic policy, urging voters to“set a glorious example for the nation” by rejecting Trump and his allies.

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“The stakes are now clear,” Obama said.“We don't need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We don't need to ask ourselves how much more coarse and mean our culture can become. Elections matter, and they matter to you.”

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