Northeast
Obama the ‘campaign closer’ for Democrats in top 2025 elections as party aims to rebound
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In the final stretch leading up to Election Day 2025, former President Barack Obama is everywhere.
From coast to coast, the former president is hoping to help push fellow Democrats over the finish line in the most high-profile and consequential ballot box showdowns this year as his party aims to rebound following last year’s election setbacks.
On Saturday, with just three days to go until Election Day, Obama will headline rallies in New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states holding elections for governor this year.
And last week he weighed in on another crucial ballot box showdown.
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS
Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
“A lot of us do not believe that politicians should choose their voters, they believe the voters should choose who’s going to represent them. That’s the meaning of democracy,” the former two-term president said as he joined California Gov. Gavin Newsom on an organizing call for California’s Proposition 50.
California voters are deciding whether to pass the proposition, which will give congressional redistricting powers in the left-leaning state back to the Democrat-dominated legislature over the coming years.
The move would likely create up to five more blue-leaning U.S. House seats in the nation’s most populous state, and counter new maps drawn in GOP-dominated Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina that will likely create up to seven Republican-leaning districts.
FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH ON ELECTION DAY 2025
It’s part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Democrats need a pickup of just three seats to win back control of the House.
President Donald Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.
Obama argued that the Trump-led effort by Republicans across the country is “brazen.”
“The problem that we are seeing right now is that our current president and his administration is explicitly saying that we want to change the rules of the game mid-stream in order to insulate ourselves from the people’s judgment,” the former president said as he joined Newsom.
Obama, who is appearing in “Yes on 50” TV ads, said that passing the proposition in California would give Democrats “a chance, at least, to create a level playing field in the upcoming midterm elections.”
BATTLE FOR GOVERNOR IN THIS CLOSELY WATCHED RACE MAY BE HEADED FOR A PHOTO FINISH
The former president is also appearing in ads in New Jersey for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who’s locked in a close contest with GOP rival Jack Ciattarelli in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.
And he’s starring in spots for former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Virginia, who’s facing off against Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the showdown to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, seen at an early voting rally on Sept. 19, 2025, in Henrico, Virginia, is the Democratic Party’s nominee in this year’s election for governor. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
For Democrats, who are aiming to escape the political wilderness after losing control of the White House and Senate majority and falling short in winning back the House last year, the 2025 ballot box showdowns are their first major shot at redemption, and they hope that Obama’s two-state swing will energize their base voters.
But for the former president, whose crowning domestic achievement — the Affordable Care Act, which is better known as Obamacare — is front-and-center in the current federal government shutdown and a top issue on the 2025 campaign trail, his return to the campaign trail is also about protecting his legacy.
“President Obama reminds us what we can accomplish when we leaders are unafraid to take on big challenges to deliver,” Sherrill said in a statement. “He led historic efforts to insure millions of Americans and lower healthcare costs.”
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor in New Jersey, greets voters at a senior center in Elizabeth, N.J., on Oct. 29, 2025 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Obama is often referred to as the Democrats’ campaign closer as they point to his recurring role since leaving office nine years ago as the party’s most effective campaign trail communicator.
According to a Gallup poll conducted in January, Obama had a 59% favorable rating among Americans, higher than any other living former president. And among Democrats, his favorable rating stood at an astronomical 96%.
“He’s the best communicator of our generation. The pathway back lies largely in meeting people where they are, and President Obama showed in his two election victories that he can do that,” seasoned Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.
But Erin Maguire, a veteran Republican strategist and communicator who served in top communications positions for then-House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, for Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign, and later led communications for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, disagrees.
“It shows what a vacuum of leadership there is in the Democrat Party that Obama has to be the closer here,” she emphasized.
Pointing to Trump’s come-from-behind 2016 White House victory, Maguire argued “there was a complete rejection of the Obama era when Donald Trump was elected to office. . . . For Democrats, this just shows what a monumental mess their whole party is that Obama has to be the strongest voice on any of these races.”
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Boston, MA
Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak
Charlotte Hornets (31-31, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (41-20, second in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -6.5; over/under is 214.5
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte is looking to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Hornets take on Boston.
The Celtics are 27-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 8.8.
The Hornets are 19-21 in conference matchups. Charlotte is 7-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.0 turnovers per game.
The Celtics average 15.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow. The Hornets average 16.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Celtics allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29 points, 7.1 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 17 points and 5.8 assists over the past 10 games.
Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 109.4 points, 50.7 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.5 points per game.
Hornets: 7-3, averaging 117.3 points, 47.8 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.2 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Neemias Queta: day to day (rest).
Hornets: Coby White: day to day (injury management).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Pittsburg, PA
2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say
The bodies of two young girls were found inside suitcases in Cleveland, Ohio, police said on Tuesday.
In a press conference, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said on Tuesday that the bodies of the two girls were found in suitcases buried in shallow graves on Monday evening. One of the girls was believed to be between the ages of 8 and 13 years old, while the other was believed to be 10 to 14 years old. Neither girl was identified as of Tuesday night.
“This is a priority,” Todd said during Tuesday’s press conference. “This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community, and this is just such a tragic incident, but we are trying to develop any leads we can.”
Police said there are no active missing persons reports in Cleveland that match the two victims.
Officials said someone walking their dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue found what appeared to be a body inside a suitcase around 6 p.m. on Monday. When officers responded to the scene near Ginn Academy, they found one of the bodies stuffed in a suitcase in a shallow grave. The second shallow grave with the body stuffed in a suitcase was found after officers searched the area.
“This is a field close to the school over there,” Todd said. “This is just a residential neighborhood that I’m sure a lot of people do frequent.”
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the bodies and will identify the girls. Todd said there is no clear indication of possible causes of death for the girls or how long the girls were there.
“It was some time, so it’s not something that was recent,” Todd said.
There is no suspect, Todd added. Anyone with information can contact the Cleveland police at 216-623-5464.
“Usually in residential areas, you know what’s happening in your neighborhood, something just seems a little bit off,” Todd said. “That’s why we’re asking that anyone who has anything that they believe to be information directly related to or suspicious, that they give us a call.”
Connecticut
Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford
A multi-vehicle crash temporarily close Interstate 84 on Tuesday night.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. and involved four cars, according to the Hartford Fire Department.
Fire crews arrived at the scene and helped one of the drivers who was trapped. The driver was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Four other people reported minor injuries but declined ambulance treatment at the scene, officials said.
I-84 East was temporarily shut down as crews responded but has since reopened.
The Connecticut State Police is investigating the crash.
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