Barack Obama tells girl ‘you look cute’ at New Jersey rally as Dems panic ahead of race for governor

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Barack Obama might have been out to rally votes, but the former president couldn’t resist turning on the charm along the way.

At a campaign event for Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Mikie Sherrill on Saturday, Obama turned heads when he paused mid-speech to respond to an overly enthusiastic fan.

“Oh, I love you, but hold on. I heard you, girl. Just settle down. I'm here to talk to everybody, not just you,” he said. “I mean, you look cute. But I’m married. Michelle’s fine too," he quipped, drawing laughter and applause. 

Dems in a tight spot, Barack Obama goes on offense

Of course, Obama wasn’t in Newark to engage in some cheeky banter. The former president was there to light a fire under Democrats, who are understandably sweating bullets ahead of Tuesday’s governor races in New Jersey and Virginia.

With just days to go before voters hit the polls, Democrats are calling in the big guns. Obama’s weekend barnstorming tour from Norfolk, Virginia, to Newark, New Jersey, was about rallying support for Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, two candidates he insists can “set a glorious example for the nation.”

“Let’s face it, our country and our policy are in a pretty dark place right now,” the former commander-in-chief told the crowd at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

“It’s hard to know where to start,” Obama continued. “Because every day this White House offers people a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness and just plain craziness.”

He was obviously targeting President Donald Trump, who is reportedly spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago while his party’s candidates, Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey, hustle on the campaign trail.

Barack Obama slams Trump’s 'lawlessness and recklessness'

During Obama’s half-hour speech in Norfolk, he torched Trump’s “shambolic” economic policies, slammed the use of National Guard troops in US cities, and accused Republican lawmakers of being too spineless to push back "even when they know he's out of line."

“The stakes are now clear,” Obama said. “We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We don’t need to ask ourselves how much more coarse and mean our culture can become. Elections matter, and they matter to you.” 

Later that evening, Obama arrived at Newark, New Jersey, where he once again took the stage with Sherrill.

“It’s like every day is Halloween, except it’s all tricks and no treats,” he quipped, further skewering Trump’s presidency.

Obama also poked fun at Trump’s reported White House renovations. “As for the President, he has been focused on some critical issues, like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don’t get mud on their shoes, and building a $300 million ballroom,” he joked.

Poll nerves in New Jersey

While Obama worked the room, the numbers weren’t exactly putting Democrats at ease.

In Virginia, polls had Abigail Spanberger, 46, a former CIA officer and ex-congresswoman, holding a comfortable lead over Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, 61. 

But in New Jersey, things looked a lot tighter. Most polls showed Mikie Sherrill with just a single-digit edge over GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli, 63, a former state assemblyman now on his third shot at the governor’s mansion.

Ciattarelli wasn’t letting up either. He went after Sherill on Saturday in suburban Westfield. “Her disdain for the president. And she can fly a helicopter. Is any of that going to fix New Jersey?” the GOP candidate asked.