Highlighting New Jersey's importance in deciding control of Congress, President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to call Republican House candidate Jay Webber "outstanding in every way" and say he "has my Full and Total Endorsement."

Webber, a state Assemblyman from Morris Plains, won a competitive primary in June to succeed Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who is retiring.

Handicappers say Webber is the underdog in the race against former prosecutor and Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill of Montclair. Sherrill has broken congressional fundraising records for New Jersey candidates and become one of the favorites among national Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden and gun safety crusader Gabrielle Giffords, both of whom appeared with her at events earlier this month.

A Monmouth University poll taken in late June saw Sherrill with 40 percent support to Webber's 38 percent among all potential voters. That lead grew to 45 percent to 39 percent when pollsters modeled turnout for a Democratic surge in voting.

Webber tweeted back at Trump to thank him for the shout-out and share it with his followers.

"I look forward to working with you to make the people in #NJ11 and across America even more prosperous and free," Webber wrote.

Webber said in a statement released by his office he was "running an optimistic and confident campaign based on lowering taxes, creating jobs, and making sure we have strong but fair immigration laws."

Vice President Mike Pence came to New Jersey in August to headline a private fundraiser for Webber, and joined the candidate for a stop at the Florham Park Diner.

The 11th District is dominated by Morris County and includes parts of Essex, Sussex and Passaic, including Little Falls, Wayne and Woodland Park. It is one of dozens of districts controlled by Republicans that Democrats have targeted as they try to pick up the 23 seats needed to retake control of the House in November.

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Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for Politics at Rider University, questioned the value of Trump's endorsement.

"If Webber is trying to shore up his base, then absolutely it's helpful," Rasmussen said.

"But if you're trying to shore up your base six weeks out from the election, you might be in trouble. Voters who are persuadable now in that district are not happy with Trump, so I can't see how this would be helpful," he said.

In a sign he believes the endorsement would be a negative with voters statewide, Sen. Bob Menendez sent out a tweet urging Trump not to forget to send the same kind of shout-out to Republican candidate Bob Hugin, who served as a delegate to Trump and contributed to his campaign in 2016.

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Traditionally a Republican stronghold, the district is home to many well-off college educated suburbanites who have moved away from the GOP in large numbers following Trump's election. The June Monmouth poll found 47 percent of voters in the district approved of Trump's job performance, while 49 percent disapproved.

Groups such as NJ11th for Change formed after Trump's inauguration and began holding regular rallies outside Frelinghuysen's offices in North Jersey, urging him to resist Trump's policies.

"Donald Trump doesn't represent people here any more than Jay Webber does," said Elizabeth Juviler, political director for NJ11th for Change. "The people in the 11th district are really concerned about their access to affordable healthcare, restoration of a tax code more fair to New Jersey, and they actually really care about equality for women, for LGBTQ, for all people."