Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced Monday evening that he was joining next year's race to succeed termed-out Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow New Jersey Democrat. Baraka would be the Garden State's first Black chief executive, but he'll need to get past several other politicians to make history.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney are already competing in the Democratic primary, and The New York Times reported last month that Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill are each "expected" to join them.
The latter could be a particular problem for Baraka, as the New Jersey Globe notes that power players in Essex County, which is home to Newark, are "likely" to back Sherrill. State Sen. Jon Bramnick and 2021 nominee Jack Ciattarelli are seeking the GOP nomination.
Baraka, who is the son of the late poet and activist Amiri Baraka, was elected to lead Newark in 2014, after arguing that he'd represent a change from the status quo defined by predecessor Cory Booker, who had won a seat in the U.S. Senate the prior year. "Yeah! We need a mayor that's radical," Baraka said in an inaugural address that seemed to confirm both supporters' and critics' beliefs that he'd lead as an outsider.
However, as The New York Times wrote in 2018, Baraka surprised many observers by making alliances with members of the local political and business establishment, including Booker. "I'm about collaboration," the mayor told the paper, "Whatever we need to do to fix it, pragmatically, that's what I'm going to do." Baraka went on to easily win reelection that year, and he secured a third term in 2022 without trouble.
Baraka has been talked about for years as a potential candidate for governor and confirmed he'd run at a Black History Month event in Trenton on Monday. "God made us Black on purpose," he told the audience. "The thickness of our lips, the broadness of our nose, the kinks in our hair, the swagger in our step. We were made beautiful and brilliant on purpose." He added, "Only racists feel uncomfortable in my affirmation."
P.S. Baraka, who worked as an eighth grade teacher before winning office, is the very first voice listeners hear on the acclaimed 1998 album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Hill would go on to serve as executive producer of the 2022 documentary "Why Is We Americans?" about Amiri Baraka and his family, including the now-mayor.
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