One race to watch is VA Governor:
“There is so far only one Democrat in the race to replace outgoing Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who’s term-limited to only one four-year term. Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam has a clear path to the Democratic nomination.
But there is an abundance of intrigue on the Republican side, which is shaping up to be a fight between Trump Republicans and the state’s GOP establishment.
The early favorite is veteran GOP operative Ed Gillespie, a past chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
Gillespie is coming off a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful 2014 Senate challenge to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), which saw Gillespie trail in the polls only to lose by less than 1 percentage point to Warner.
But he’ll get a spirited challenge from Corey Stewart, a rabble-rousing northern Virginia county leader running as an unapologetic Trump supporter.” – TheHill.com
NJ Governor’s race:
“Former Goldman Sachs executive Phil Murphy is steamrolling toward New Jersey’s Democratic nomination for governor.
Murphy has loaned his campaign millions of dollars while picking up union endorsements and the support of state Democratic leaders.
Murphy’s momentum and deep pockets have been enough to keep two significant potential Democratic primary opponents — Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney — on the sidelines. Both have backed Murphy.
So far, Murphy’s only primary competition is from Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D).
The Republican side is more crowded, but the GOP likely faces an uphill battle to pick a successor for term-limited Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who is one of the most unpopular governors in the country.” – TheHill.com
