In New Jersey, Democrats search for a candidate to fight Trump

New Jersey Democratic voters say fighting Trump is a top priority, and the party’s candidates for governor are laying out how they’ll battle the president.

PLAINFIELD, N.J. — As voter Wendy David began to explain why she is supporting Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for governor in New Jersey, she stopped midsentence.

“I’ll just be frank,” the Plainfield Democrat told NBC News. “I feel Ras can stand up against Trump and protect us.”

David isn’t alone. In conversations with nearly 40 New Jersey Democratic voters in recent days, a common theme emerged: Many New Jersey Democrats are looking to support a candidate for governor in Tuesday’s primary who will forcefully push back against President Donald Trump.

And the six Democratic hopefuls have been making their cases against Trump on the airwaves and on the campaign trail.

“This fight in New Jersey is a national fight,” Baraka told supporters, including David, gathered in a backyard here on a recent Saturday evening.