The Democratic candidates in this fall’s top statewide races have chosen a relentless focus on one word: affordability.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill rolled out a “Save You Time and Money” plan in New Jersey. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger turned to “Affordable Virginia” as the name for her economic proposal. Their ads about the need to bring down costs are running on repeat in both states.
The cost-of-living focus in New Jersey and Virginia mirrors a messaging push seen in the New York City mayoral contest where Zohran Mamdani, the party’s nominee and a democratic socialist, has been hailed by liberals as a model for how to talk about affordability in buzzy and organic ways.
But Sherrill and Spanberger, running in states that aren’t as liberal as New York City, are more moderate in tone and policy ideas. They’ve demurred when asked about supporting Mamdani, instead saying they’re focused on their own states and echoing the need to focus on pocketbook issues.
If successful, their strategy could offer a model for Democrats in next year’s midterm elections.
There’s evidence that the economy and rising costs are a key vulnerability for President Donald Trump with independent voters, even as Republicans rally behind his sweeping actions on immigration and crime. A recent CBS News poll found 41% of adults in the US approved of Trump’s handling of the economy while 59% disapproved. More US adults disapproved of Trump’s handling of inflation specifically – 64% compared to 36% who approved.
President Donald Trump is pictured on Sunday, at the US Open men’s singles final tennis match in New York. – Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
In Virginia, 28% of voters identified the rising cost of living as the issue most influencing their votes, according to a September poll from Virginia Commonwealth University. That was the top issue in the poll, ahead of women’s reproductive rights, immigration and education.
“The cost of living is not just a term of art and polling. It’s the reality of the number one issue for most Americans,” said Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist who has worked on past Virginia races. “Trump matters, but Trump’s the noise in the background. It’s the price at the checkout counter that voters hear the loudest.”
Democrats with eyes on the 2026 midterms and beyond also are embracing the affordability push in their campaigns. Most recently, Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, who is running for US Senate, tapped into cost-of-living concerns under Trump with a spot pegged to the start of football season.
Generically named Democratic outside groups have sprung up this year in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. “Affordable New Jersey” spent $15 million on ads in the state’s gubernatorial primary; “Affordable New York” spent half a million dollars on the mayoral primary; and “Affordable Virginia,” has since March been running digital ads attacking GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans who represents the state’s battleground 2nd congressional district.
Nearly two dozen PACs and business groups with the word “Affordable” in their name have run political ads in the first half of the year, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, underscoring the trend.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill speaks at a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on June 7. – Heather Khalifa/AP
Lowering utility costs in New Jersey
Soaring utility prices have emerged as a major campaign issue in New Jersey where residential electricity costs have spiked much more than the national average.
Half of New Jerseyans said they have some level of difficulty affording utility bills, according to a Rutgers/Eagleton poll released in July. More than half said they had some level of difficulty affording health care costs, groceries, and housing payments.
In August, Sherrill unveiled a plan to freeze utility rates, a proposal she highlighted in her first ad of the general election campaign.
“On day one as governor, I’m declaring a state of emergency on utility costs, using emergency powers to end these rate hikes and drive down your bills,” Sherrill said in the ad.
Some, including the state’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, have questioned whether the proposal can work. Sherrill has pushed back on the skepticism, writing on X, “I’m tired of hearing that lowering your electric bill is is ‘too hard or ‘not doable.’”
Republicans have worked to tie Sherrill to Murphy amid signs of frustration with government at the state level. The July survey from Rutgers/Eagleton also found 85% of New Jerseyans were either very or somewhat dissatisfied with how the state government is handling cost of living and affordability in the state.
Jack Ciattarelli, Sherrill’s GOP opponent, has attributed the jump in energy costs to the policies of the state government in Trenton. His policy calls for increasing energy production and making changes to the state’s Board of Public Utilities.
In his first ad of the general election, Ciattarelli said he would “lower electricity bills” and tied Sherrill to the outgoing Democratic administration. On Friday, a super PAC tied to the Republican Governors Association announced its own seven-figure ad campaign challenging Sherrill on energy costs.
“We all know it. New Jersey’s a mess, and all Mikie Sherrill wants to talk about is President Trump,” Ciattarelli says in his campaign ad. “New Jersey’s a mess because out-of-touch politicians like Phil Murphy and Mikie Sherrill care more about pronouns and sanctuary cities than they do solving our problems.”
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger speaks at the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival in Buena Vista, Virginia, on September 1. – Win McNamee/Getty Images
Cost of living in Virginia
Spanberger has made cost-of-living issues a cornerstone of her campaign, rolling out plans to tackle high costs for health care, energy and housing. She’s also seized on Trump’s cuts and the work of the Elon Musk-inspired Department of Government Efficiency given the impact on the large federal workforce based in the state.
“Like every day on the campaign trail, I’m hearing about issues of affordability,” Spanberger said in a recent video between campaign stops.
Many of her recent TV ads have highlighted her plans to drive down costs. One recent attack ad criticizes her GOP opponent, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, for praising Trump’s domestic agenda bill.
“The Trump’s budget raises health care costs, raises mortgages, raises the price of electricity and gas,” a narrator says in the ad. “You pay more so billionaires can pay less.”
In recent weeks, Earle-Sears’ campaign has leaned into attacks focused on transgender policies, hammering Spanberger with ads echoing the commercials run against Kamala Harris last year.
But the GOP gubernatorial nominee has also sought to push back on some of Spanberger’s messaging on the cost of living. Last month, as Spanberger was highlighting rising electricity bills, Earle-Sears’ campaign released a video challenging the Democrat’s support for alternative energy.
“I’m a capitalist. I trust the market—and I trust you. As for Abigail, she doesn’t even trust you with your own thermostat, your own appliances, or your own car—if it runs on gas,” Earle-Sears wrote on social media, featuring a video saying, “Abigail Spanberger: Too liberal for Virginia.”
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
