Anxious Democrats are hauling out their biggest political star to try to prevent what would be a devastating loss in blue state New Jersey, where former President Barack Obama is stumping Saturday for gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill.<\/p>\n
Obama was set to rally with Sherrill, 53, in Newark in an 11th hour bid to boost turnout in her race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, 63.<\/p>\n
Obama\u2019s appearance comes after a new shock<\/a> poll by Atlas Intel Saturday showed Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by less than a single point, 50.2% to 49.3% , less than the margin of error.<\/p>\n Rep. Mikie Sherrill\u2019s flailing answer to a question about her legislative priorities made for brutal campaign ads CBS News<\/p>\n Motivating minority Democrats is key to Sherrill\u2019s survival. Newark\u2019s population is nearly 50 percent black and more than a third Hispanic. <\/p>\n She leads Ciattarelli 65% to 12% among black voters, and 63% to 18% among Hispanics, according to a Suffolk University poll released Thursday.<\/p>\n Obama had already attended a $1.5 million fundraiser for the four-term New Jersey House member, a US Naval Academy grad and retired Navy helicopter pilot. <\/p>\n Obama, 64, headlines the rally a year after he campaigned with former Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee in her bid against President Trump. She lost badly anyway.<\/p>\n There were no indications former President Biden would stump for Sherrill, who on July 9, 2024 called for him to drop out of the race for president. \u201cThe stakes are too high \u2014 and the threat is too real \u2014 to stay silent,\u201d she said at the time.<\/p>\n Obama was the most popular living president according to Gallup<\/a> back in February, with 59 percent approval. Biden was the least popular, at 39 percent.<\/p>\n President Trump endorsed Ciattarelli, but stayed away from Jersey for the final weekend of the campaign Facebook\/Jack Ciattarelli<\/p>\n Ciattarelli was set to hold his own event in Monmouth, a day after he told The Post<\/a> that \u201cThe candidate has to go out and win the race. I know my opponent\u2019s bringing in this person, that person. She could bring in the ghost of FDR. It\u2019s not going to matter.\u201d<\/p>\n An off-year election in a blue state while Republicans hold the White House might typically be the kind that wouldn\u2019t give Democrats heartburn.<\/p>\n But Sherrill is clinging to a narrow lead of less than 3% in the Real Clear Politics polling average while seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy (D), in a state Joe Biden carried by 16 percentage points in 2020. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tKeep up with today\u2019s most important news\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStay up on the very latest with Evening Update.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Former VP Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump there by just 52% to 46%.<\/p>\n Ciattarelli outperformed the polls four years ago, adding to Democratic anxiety. The Republican National Committee has been surging resources<\/a> to the state.<\/p>\n She had a bit of good news in the breakdown of early voting, with Democrats holding an edge in the raw vote count, though by less than 2 percentage points.<\/p>\n Sherrill has been trying to run a more centrist campaign while leftists like socialist Zohran Mamdani attract international attention in neighboring New York.<\/p>\n Ciattarelli came within three points of Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago Leonardo Munoz<\/p>\n If Sherrill does lose, it may be due to her flailing answer when asked a basic question about her priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you could pass just one piece of legislation, what would it be?\u201d asked her interviewer Marcia Kramer on CBS New York.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, I would like \u2026 that\u2019s a really good question, because there are so many that are coming to mind right now,\u201d she said, desperately stalling for time.<\/p>\n The answer was \u201cdisastrous,\u201d New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R), who represents Bergen County, told The Post.<\/p>\n