Former Biden and Bush press officials join forces to back Democrat in key governor’s race

By Fox News · Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: A former Biden administration spokesman and a veteran GOP communicator who both advise affordability-focused policy group the Cost Coalition are backing New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s run for governor , Fox News Digital has learned. "After analyzing the plans of both candidates in the New Jersey governor's race, the difference between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli on this defining issue of affordability is enormous," Cost Coalition advisers Andrew Bates and Terry Holt wrote in their joint endorsement first obtained by Fox News Digital Wednesday. "Mikie Sherrill has bold ideas to use the specific powers of the governorship to make a difference that families will feel." Bates served as the senior deputy press secretary of the White House under the Biden administration, and was a strong supporter of the former president amid his mounting health concerns during the 2024 election. Holt is a longtime Republican communicator and strategist who previously served as former Republican House Speaker John Boehner's senior adviser. He also worked as the national spokesman for the 2004 Bush–Cheney campaign before launching his own communications firm, Holt Communication Strategies. The Cost Coalition is a bipartisan group of President Donald Trump critics focused on lowering costs for U.S. residents and slashing the national debt by supporting leaders who "invest in solutions that strengthen the economic security of American families," according to the group. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ATTENDS 'NO KINGS' PROTEST, VOWS TO FIGHT TRUMP 'TOOTH AND NAIL' The Cost Coalition launched in April 2025, with Holt and Bates slamming Trump's economic policies in comment to The Associated Press at the time, claiming the president's "agenda is an economic crisis threatening your livelihood and standard of living." The Cost Coalition includes a handful of allies from former Vice President Kamala Harris ' 2024 campaign for the Oval Office, including Republica…