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Former President Barack Obama officially endorsed both Democrat candidates running in the only pair of gubernatorial elections this cycle, following the tradition of the former president holding his endorsement cards close to his chest in the lead-up to elections.
“Mikie’s integrity, grit and commitment to service are what we need right now in our leaders,” Obama said in a video endorsement ad released Friday by Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaign. “Mikie Sherrill is the right choice for your next governor.
“Mikie is a mom who will drive down costs for New Jersey families,” Obama continued in the ad. “As a federal prosecutor and former Navy helicopter pilot, she worked to keep our communities safe.”
New Jersey and Virginia are the only states holding gubernatorial elections in 2025’s off-season election year, with Sherrill and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia as the only Democrats in the running.
OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS
Former President Barack Obama continued his tradition of holding official political endorsements close to the vest, endorsing the Democrats running in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Obama endorsed Spanberger Thursday in a pair of ads that also took aim at Republicans for “attacking abortion rights.”
“Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year. We know Republicans will keep attacking abortion rights and the rights of women. That’s why having the right governor matters, and I’m proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger,” Obama said in an ad endorsing the Virginia Democrat.
“Republican policies are raising costs on working families so (that) billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” he said in another ad endorsing Spanberger.
Following Obama’s endorsement of Spanberger, the Republican challenger in the race, current Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign told Fox Digital Thursday, “Abigail Spanberger is scared, and it shows.”
THE ONLY GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES RUNNING IN 2025 ELECTIONS LEAN INTO TRUMP’S MAGA CAMPAIGN TACTICS
“After losing support across Virginia, she’s leaning on liberal elites to try and save her collapsing campaign,” Earle-Sears’ press secretary, Peyton Vogel, said. “This is a desperate play from a candidate who’s run out of support, out of ideas and out of time. Voters see through it, and that’s why Winsome Earle-Sears is surging.”
New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign also blasted the Obama endorsement in a comment to Fox News Digital Friday.
“If anything underscores the lack of enthusiasm around Mikie Sherrill’s arrogant, out-of-touch campaign, it’s that she thinks that endorsements by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton actually matter to middle and working-class New Jerseyans who have been kicked in the teeth by eight years of one-party Democrat rule making our state more expensive and less safe,” Ciattarelli campaign strategist Chris Russell told Fox News Digital. “Spoiler alert: They don’t. If anything, it energizes our voters even more.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended fundraising events for both Democratic gubernatorial candidates in October.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., launched gubernatorial bids for their respective states in the 2025 election. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Since leaving the Oval Office, Obama typically has held his endorsement card close to his chest.
He endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June 2016 following months of signaling support for Clinton without formally offering his endorsement.
THE ONLY TWO DEMS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN 2025 ARE FORMER ROOMMATES WITH MIRRORING POLITICAL CAREERS
Obama remained coy during the 2020 election about whom he would endorse, saying he would not back anyone during the primary. As Democratic contenders such as former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race, Obama officially endorsed his former vice president, Joe Biden, after he became the party’s presumptive nominee.
Obama notably got more involved with the 2020 Biden campaign in its final weeks, holding his first in-person event amid the pandemic in Pennsylvania just days before the election.
The 44th president called on Democrats to “chill out” during the 2020 primary season and wait to see which candidate would emerge successful in the primary process. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The 44th president called on Democrats to “chill out” during the 2020 primary season and wait to see which candidate would emerge successful in the primary process.
“There will be differences, but I want us to make sure that we keep in mind that relative to the ultimate goal, which is to defeat a president and a party that has, I think, taken a sharp turn away from a lot of the core traditions and values and institutional commitments that built this country,” Obama said in 2019 at a Democrat fundraiser in California. “Compared to that goal, the differences we’re having right now are relatively minor.
“Everybody needs to chill out about the candidates,” he added, “but gin up about the prospect of rallying behind whoever emerges from this process.”
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During the unprecedented 2024 election cycle, Obama did not offer a formal, new endorsement of Biden’s re-election run but did join him for campaign events. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race as concerns over his mental acuity and age mounted, with Obama again staying mum for days whether he would endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.
Former President Barack Obama speaks with President-elect Donald Trump before the state funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter in Washington Jan. 9, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden dropped out of the race July 21, 2024, and endorsed Harris to run in his place that same day in a separate social media post. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama endorsed Harris in a video message July 26, 2024, as party members and political pundits awaited the Obamas’ support with bated breath.
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Harris published a memoir, “107 Days,” in September that detailed her short 2024 campaign cycle and noted in her book that Obama did not offer an immediate endorsement, instead advising that she has to “earn” the nomination and consider the “timing” of it.
“Saddle up! Joe did what I hoped he would do. But you have to earn it,” Obama said when Harris spoke to him, according to the book. “Michelle and I are supportive but not going to put a finger on the scale right now. Let Joe have his moment. Think through timing.”
Obama also endorsed former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s failed 2021 re-election campaign at the end of October 2024, as that election began losing ground to Republican Glenn Youngkin as education issues took center stage.
The 2025 gubernatorial elections have teed up the two Democrats as potential leaders of the party if they prove fruitful in their races, following the Democrat Party’s disarray from the losses at the 2024 ballot boxes that handed President Donald Trump a victory.
Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for additional comment on the gubernatorial endorsements Friday but did not immediately receive a reply.
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A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 elementary school children while over four times the legal alcohol limit, authorities said, after reports she was swerving through traffic and nearly hitting vehicles before the bus ended up in a snowbank.
On Tuesday, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Douglass Township Police Chief Robert B. Evans announced an arrest warrant for Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown.
Weber is charged with driving under the influence, 54 counts each of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment and related summary offenses.
Authorities said police were alerted around 4 p.m. Feb. 6 that a school bus was driving erratically and narrowly missing other vehicles.
A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
A responding officer later found the bus stopped in a snowbank.
Investigators said officers found an open 750ml bottle of Tito’s vodka, two empty 50ml bottles and a receipt showing the alcohol was purchased earlier that morning.
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A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock)
According to authorities, a blood test showed Weber’s blood alcohol concentration was .331%, more than four times the legal limit of .08%, and detected Delta-9 Carboxy THC.
Investigators said 54 children were on the bus, including five younger than 6. Several children called or texted their parents during the ride because they were frightened by the driving, and one child exited at an earlier stop and was picked up by his parents, authorities said.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT
A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock, File)
“More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated,” Steele said. “We are all thankful that this defendant didn’t crash the bus and cause further harm to these children.”
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Weber checked herself into a rehabilitation facility after the incident, authorities said. She is expected to turn herself in for arraignment, at which time bail will be set.
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Boston Marathon
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.
Name: Brianna Poehler
City/State: Granby, Mass.
I am running the 2026 Boston Marathon with Miles for Miracles in support of Boston Children’s Hospital. The Boston Marathon is deeply personal to me and my family.
My daughter is a liver transplant survivor, and at just 11 months old, she received a life-saving liver transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital.
What could have been the most devastating chapter of our lives became a story of hope, resilience, and extraordinary care because of the BCH team.
When our daughter was so small and so sick, the doctors, nurses, and staff at Boston Children’s carried us through the unimaginable.
They combined world-class medical expertise with compassion that went far beyond treatment plans and hospital rooms. They cared for our daughter as if she were their own. They supported us as anxious, exhausted parents. They gave us answers when we had questions, and reassurance when we were overwhelmed.
Most importantly, they gave our daughter a second chance at life.
Today, she is thriving because of that gift. Every milestone she reaches is a reminder of the miracle she received and the team that made it possible. Running the Boston Marathon is my way of honoring that gift and saying thank you in the most meaningful way I can.
The marathon is a test of endurance, determination, and heart — qualities I saw in my daughter during her fight and in the Boston Children’s team every single day.
With every mile I run, I will be thinking of her strength, her transplant journey, and the families who are walking similar paths right now.
By running with Miles for Miracles, I hope to raise funds that will support groundbreaking research, life-saving treatments, and compassionate care for children like my daughter. This race is more than 26.2 miles — it is a celebration of survival, gratitude, and hope.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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Along with the best football prospects the season has to offer, the NFL Draft promises to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.
If the turnout approaches that of Detroit in 2023, those descending on the North Shore and Downtown could reach 700,000 over the three days. For reference, that’s more than 10 times Acrisure Stadium’s 68,400 seats, and more than double the city’s roughly 308,000 residents.
Where will they stay? How will they get around?
Event planners at VisitPittsburgh say the city is up to the task.
“They picked us out of several cities because we have the infrastructure,” said Perry Ivery, general manager of the Oaklander Hotel and board chair of VisitPittsburgh.
Last year, Wisconsin’s Green Bay comfortably accommodated a unique visitor count three times its 106,000 population, according to residents and local leaders.
Ivery said there are some 26,000 hotel rooms across the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, the bulk of which are concentrated in and around Downtown.
Even if each room holds two to four people, the total still appears to fall short. But Ivery said many attendees will be locals, whether from Pittsburgh, surrounding counties or neighboring states within a day’s drive.
Plus, a high proportion of out-of-town guests could have Pittsburgh roots and a free bed to claim in a family home, he added.
There are also around 3,500 units available for short-term rental in and around Pittsburgh through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
“We’re all working together to make sure everybody has a great hospitality experience in the City of Pittsburgh,” Ivery said.
Infrastructure from roads to parking, and bus and light rail routes, will also feel the strain.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit normally services around 100,000 riders on an average weekday, across its entire network. Spokesperson Adam Brandolph said the agency is prepared for the transit demands of what’s expected to be the biggest event the city has hosted.
“We’re confident that we’ll be able to meet the needs of visitors to the draft as well as daily riders,” he said, noting “no major closures or detours” are planned for the event other than the University Line project, which may see less construction during that week.
Brandolph said the agency is finalizing plans and intends to make more information public soon.
A spokesperson for VisitPittsburgh said a local committee is working with a range of stakeholders including transportation agencies, engineering partners and local government “to deliver a coordinated and comprehensive plan for the region.”
“This includes collaboration with public transit agencies on adjusted service plans, clearly marked detour routes, designated rideshare zones and proactive communication with residents, businesses and commuters,” said Alex Kenzakoski, communications director for VisitPittsburgh.
“Our shared goal is to minimize disruption, keep the region moving and make travel as predictable and seamless as possible for both fans and locals.”
Kenzakoski said details on road closures, transit adjustments and travel guidance will be made known ahead of the draft, and encouraged fans to download the NFL OnePass app for transportation information and updates.
Ivery said a successful draft week execution could line Pittsburgh up for future hosting prospects.
“There’re going to be folks that come in that have never been to Pittsburgh … This is a case to showcase our town, and our hotels,” he said.
“We’re friendly, we have grit, we’re very excited to showcase that we can do large-scale activities.”
This story first appeared in Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Read the original here.
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