Latest news with #MikieSherrill
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Obama making first fundraising appearance since Democrats' 2024 losses
Former President Obama will be making his first fundraising appearance since the Democratic Party suffered losses across the board during the 2024 elections. Obama will attend a high-dollar fundraiser Friday evening hosted by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and his wife, Tammy Murphy, in Red Bank, N.J., according to a copy of the invitation that was obtained by The Hill. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, who has been under pressure amid growing turmoil within the party, and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) will also be in attendance for the 'dinner and discussion' event, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill. The fundraiser, first reported by Axios, comes ahead of New Jersey's gubernatorial and state legislative races this year. Sherrill, who represents New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, won the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey in early June. She is looking to succeed Murphy, who is term limited. The lawmaker will face off against Republican Jack Ciattarelli — who secured President Trump's endorsement during the GOP primary race — in the general election. The fundraiser is sold out, and the money raised will be directed to the DNC, 'as it plans to make significant investments in states like New Jersey in 2025 and beyond,' the source said. Obama hosted fundraisers for both former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election cycle. In late June, the DNC rolled out an 'Organizing Summer' effort in hopes of forming a network of volunteers, generating enthusiasm and registering people to vote ahead of the elections in November and the midterms in 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Obama's message to Democrats
Published: | Updated: Former President Barack Obama told whining Democrats that they needed to 'toughen up' as the party figures out how to fight back against President Donald Trump. On Friday, Obama headlined a private fundraiser in New Jersey hosted by the state's current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in support of the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill. CNN obtained excerpts of the former president's remarks. 'You know, don't tell me you're a Democrat , but you're kind of disappointed right now, so you're not doing anything,' Obama said. 'No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something.' The ex-president complained about party members grumbling over there not being a defined leader of the party. 'I think it's going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions,' he said. 'And it's going to require Democrats to just toughen up.' There are two off-year elections that Obama said Democrats should be focused on - the governors races in New Jersey and Virginia. In past years, both races have been considered bellwethers - and if Democrats are successful they could give them momentum going into the midterms. Obama called the races 'a big jumpstart for where we need to go.' 'Stop looking for the quick fix,' he told the crowd. 'Stop looking for the messiah.' 'You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates,' the ex-president said. In the primary last month, New Jersey Republicans selected former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli to be there guy. He was backed by Trump. Ciattarelli unsuccessfully pursued the governorship in both 2017 and 2021 - losing the primary in 2017 and losing the general election to Murphy in 2021. 'Make sure that the DNC has what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time,' Obama advised on the two races. More broadly, he encouraged Democrats to 'stand up for the things that you think are right.'


Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Obama pulls no punches in savage two-word message for Democrats struggling to fight back against Trump
Former President Barack Obama told whining Democrats that they needed to 'toughen up' as the party figures out how to fight back against President Donald Trump. On Friday, Obama headlined a private fundraiser in New Jersey hosted by the state's current Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in support of the Democratic nominee of New Jersey governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill. CNN obtained excerpts of the former president's remarks. 'You know, don't tell me you're a Democrat, but you're kind of disappointed right now, so you're not doing anything,' Obama said. 'No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something.' The ex-president complained about party members grumbling over there not being a defined leader of the party. 'I think it's going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions,' he said. 'And it's going to require Democrats to just toughen up.' There are two off-year elections that Obama said Democrats should be focused on - the governors races in New Jersey and Virginia. In past years, both races have been considered bellwethers - and if Democrats are successful they could give them momentum going into the midterms. Obama called the races 'a big jumpstart for where we need to go.' 'Stop looking for the quick fix,' he told the crowd. 'Stop looking for the messiah.' 'You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates,' the ex-president said. In New Jersey, Democrats nominated Sherrill, a 53-year-old former Navy officer and federal prosecutor, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, when Democratic candidates swept the House of Representatives in a rebuke of Trump's first term. In the primary last month, New Jersey Republicans selected former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli to be there guy. He was backed by Trump. Ciattarelli unsuccessfully pursued the governorship in both 2017 and 2021 - losing the primary in 2017 and losing the general election to Murphy in 2021. Murphy is term-limited so not pursuing re-election. In Virginia, the state's voters will make history no matter what and elect their first female governor. Democrats nominated former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, while Republicans nominated the state's current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, as the commonwealth's current GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin is term-limited. 'Make sure that the DNC has what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time,' Obama advised on the two races. More broadly, he encouraged Democrats to 'stand up for the things that you think are right.' 'Don't say that you care deeply about free speech and then you're quiet. No, you stand up for free speech when it's hard. When somebody says something that you don't like, but you still say, "You know what, that person has the right to speak." … What's needed now is courage,' Obama said.

Politico
7 days ago
- Health
- Politico
Democrats thought they found their midterm message on the megabill — but it could hit some snags
'We will need to remind voters that the impact is going to kind of come in waves, and that a lot of the brunt of the damage won't be felt until next year, or even after the midterms,' Stevenson said. 'We just will have to remind them that provisions of the bill are still coming, that deadlines are looming.' But the bulk of the health care cuts Republicans built into their megabill — including reductions to the so-called provider tax many states use to help fund their Medicaid programs and new work requirements that could cost millions of people their coverage — won't kick in until after the midterms. Republicans have signaled they'll use the popular parts of the legislation like a tax deduction on tips to go on offense against Democrats. NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said Democrats were using 'desperate and disgusting fear-mongering tactics' and added the GOP would 'use every tool to show voters that the provisions in this bill are widely popular.' Polling shows voters are receiving mixed messages on Medicaid. A tracking survey from nonprofit health policy group KFF shows 63 percent of independents said they believe the bill will strip health care coverage from people who need it, but they also broadly support adding work requirements to the program. 'If Republicans are able to characterize these changes as simply fraud and waste, there may not be as drastic political implications,' said Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of KFF's Public Opinion and Survey Research Program. Another potential pitfall for Democrats: States use different names for the Medicaid programs — Medi-Cal in California, SoonerCare in Oklahoma, Health First Colorado — that could leave some voters unaware that the cuts are from national Republicans. Democrats will get a trial run for their Medicaid messaging in this year's gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Democrats' nominee to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, has attacked her opponent for being 'fully on board' with Republican cuts, and argued that New Jersey is 'the first chance to hold them accountable at the ballot box.' Laura Matos, a Democratic strategist in New Jersey, noted that Republicans are 'counting on people not paying attention' to the impact of the bill, but also warned Democrats not to get too bogged down in national issues. 'For Mikie, it's this nebulous thing,' she said. 'You can talk about national issues, but what she really needs to do is pivot to the things she's going to do here to improve affordability and quality of life.' Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., speaks at a 'Get Out the Vote' rally, June 7, 2025, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. | Heather Khalifa/AP But other Democrats are brushing aside concerns that voters won't register the impacts of the bill, pointing to substantial news coverage of its cuts to Medicaid and the more immediate changes to Affordable Care Act tax credits that could dramatically increase some Americans' health insurance costs.


The Independent
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Obama is back on the fundraising circuit trying to help Democrats rebound for upcoming elections
Former President Barack Obama has returned to the fundraising circuit, attending an event in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Friday night. Obama was set to join the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, at the high-dollar fundraiser, Axios reported ahead of the event. It was the two-term president's first fundraiser since the Democrats lost the White House last year. It also comes after several public problems for the DNC leadership. The fundraiser was hosted in the Garden State by outgoing Governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, an invitation obtained by Axios stated. It comes before the state's gubernatorial and state legislative elections in November. Some of the funds raised are expected to be spent in New Jersey this fall. The Murphys raised more than $1.5 million at the event, a ccording to the New Jersey Globe. The elections are viewed as an opportunity for the parties to size each other up ahead of next year's midterm elections. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill took part in the event at the Murphy home in Middletown. The event was sold out, and the money will go to the DNC as it works to get ready for elections later this year and in 2026. Last cycle, Obama raised $85 million for the Democrats, according to his office. Murphy's path in national politics began as the DNC finance chairman. During his remarks at the dinner, he spoke about the need for a strong party infrastructure and his wish for the national party to invest in his state to hold on to the governorship and state assembly control, according to the Globe. Murphy took Obama through the 'lay of the land' in the Garden State, saying that Sherrill is a strong candidate who won the six-candidate primary fight, the outlet noted. Murphy served as the ambassador to Germany during the Obama administration. The DNC has been plagued by infighting during Martin's short tenure. Last month, a dozen DNC members shared their frustrations with Politico, noting their concerns with Martin's ability to unify and lead the party as it attempts to recover from its 2024 losses. One anonymous member told the outlet that Martin has been 'weak and whiny,' and another argued that he's been 'invisible' and his 'early tenure has been disappointing.' Martin told Politico in a statement at the time that 'I ran and won the race for DNC chair to get the DNC out of DC — because too many people in DC want to point fingers, and play the blame game.' 'They want to win irrelevant arguments, with no strategy involved, but the one strategic thing that makes us relevant is winning elections,' he added. 'I was elected chair to help our party win again, and we are.' Voters have labeled Democrats as 'out of touch' and 'weak' in the latest poll ahead of the 2026 midterms. One criticism that circulated in the wake of the presidential election was that Democrats had shifted their focus away from the working class, a segment of the population to which Trump had appealed. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's first chief of staff and a former mayor of Chicago and Biden-era ambassador to Japan, said, 'We're in the most serious existential crisis with Donald Trump both at home and abroad — and with the biggest political opportunity in a decade.' 'And the DNC has spent six months on a firing squad in the circle, and can't even fire a shot out. And Trump's world is a target-rich environment,' he added.