Clinton to campaign for Democrat seeking to succeed Christie

HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — Hillary Clinton will help raise cash for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy just days after former President Barack Obama campaigned for him.

The New Jersey fundraiser is not the first campaign event for Clinton since her defeat last year in the presidential election. Earlier this month, she attended an event on behalf of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states holding races for governor this year.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of an invitation to the Sunday event in Harrison. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg will also be there.

Individual tickets for the event featuring the 2016 presidential nominee are listed at $1,000, but the invitation asks potential guests to consider giving the top contribution, $4,300, which will include a photo.

Obama appeared at what was billed as a canvass kickoff for Murphy in Newark on Thursday. He later rallied for Northam.

The former Democratic president didn’t mention President Donald Trump by name but called on voters to reject “politics of division” in his remarks.

Unlike the event with Obama, the Clinton appearance is not open to the media. The Murphy campaign declined to discuss the Clinton event.

Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Obama-appointed ambassador to Germany, has a polling and cash advantage in the Nov. 7 contest against Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

Clinton is just the latest in a string of high-profile Democrats who have gone to New Jersey for Murphy. Last week, former vice presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore also campaigned for him.

GOP Gov. Chris Christie cannot seek a third term because of term limits.

The Virginia race between Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie is much closer, polls have shown. Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is also term-limited.

———

For more on the New Jersey governor’s race, go to https://apnews.com/tag/NewJerseyGovernor’sRace