Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigns for Abigail Spanberger in Virginia

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — As Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro trotted out to address voters Sunday at a community center in this southeastern Virginia city, the crowd roared and cheered every time he referenced the person he was there to support: Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor.

His message was not subtle. Shapiro, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, praised Spanberger as a “compassionate,” “caring” and “grounded” person who would act as a “freedom fighter” — and whose leadership would help protect the state from President Donald Trump.

“She’s going to protect your basic freedoms. That’s where governors matter most. Because right now we have a president of the United States who is attacking the states, making it harder for you to move forward, making things more expensive and limiting your basic freedoms,” Shapiro said to loud applause and shouts of support. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want the White House to decide what my freedoms are. I want to keep my freedoms. The best way to do that is with Abigail.”

Shapiro’s appearance on the campaign trail in Virginia nine days before Election Day made him the latest high-profile Democrat (and potential presidential candidate) to parachute into the blue-leaning state in hopes of putting Spanberger above his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stopped by Old Dominion last week to appear with Spanberger, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear campaigned with her last month. Later this week, Sen. Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, is expected to attend an event or two with Spanberger, while former President Barack Obama will headline a rally in Norfolk next weekend.

The growing crowd of Democratic names suggests how much the party feels at stake in Virginia’s gubernatorial race — one of only two this year (the other is in New Jersey) — as the party tries to chart a course after Trump’s 2024 victory.

At two events on Sunday, it was Shapiro, another moderate, who took his turn defending Spanberger. He praised she – and, more broadly, Democratic governors like him (as well as New Jersey Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill, for whom he campaigned on Saturday) – as the levers of power best equipped to combat Trump and the “chaos” he is sowing in Washington, D.C., and who can protect personal freedoms like reproductive and voting rights and an affordable American dream.

“This is the time for us to capture freedom and to capture the light from the darkness that is coming from other areas. Now is a time, Virginia, when the nation is looking at you to see whether or not we are going to give our children a chance, whether or not we are going to protect our fundamental freedoms,” he said. If voters give Spanberger victory, he added, “you will send a clear message to this nation: we value freedom, we cherish our democracy and we love this country.”

Spanberger, speaking after Shapiro in Portsmouth, echoed that message, blaming the government shutdown on Trump and Republicans and saying it, along with his Department of Government Efficiency’s firing of federal employees this year, “attacks on Virginia and attacks on our economy.”

“We need a governor who will stand up and make clear the impacts of all these bad efforts,” she said.

Spanberger consistently led Earle-Sears in polling and fundraising throughout the campaign.

The series of appearances by domestic and foreign Democratic surrogates alongside Spanberger, however, gives him another apparent advantage over his Republican opponent.

At a rally Saturday night in nearby Chesapeake, Earle-Sears was joined by other Republicans on the November ballot, including GOP candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who served in that role more than a decade ago, also came.

But no other domestic or foreign Republicans were present. And the Earle-Sears campaign has repeatedly declined to name those confirmed or planned to campaign with it in the final days of the race.

So far, only a small handful of Republicans have campaigned for her in Virginia.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who is running for governor of his state, campaigned with Earle-Sears in June and led a fundraiser for her last week. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also attended a fundraiser this month.

Trump has not yet officially endorsed Earle-Sears or campaigned with her.

Asked if anyone would come to campaign with her down the stretch, during a brief interview with NBC News and other reporters Saturday after her event, Earle-Sears responded, “Haven’t you seen Byron Donalds? Haven’t you seen Ted Cruz? Do you know how many have already come to help me?”