They both were members of the 2018 freshman class that helped Democrats retake the U.S. House. Both present themselves as kitchen-table centrists with extensive military and national security experience.
And the two friends − who text each other regularly and were roommates on Capitol Hill − were even born in each other’s states.
Now, Virginia's Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey's Mikie Sherrill, moderate gubernatorial candidates on the ballot this November, are seen by some observers as a model for how Democrats can make a broad electoral appeal, in contrast to the party's socialist nominee for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has been a target for President Donald Trump's attacks.
"These two candidates are not economic populists that Bernie Sanders and others would want to see," said Matthew Dallek, a historian and professor of political management at George Washington University.
"The test is if they both win by at least a reasonable margin, then it does send a signal that having a national security candidate who is moderate on a range of issues, including some of the hot button social issues, can be a winning formula."
