Mayor Ras Baraka is operating for governor of New Jersey and defying expectations within the course of.
Whereas some political consultants ranked him because the underdog when he entered the race, Baraka has simply been introduced because the frontrunner in a brand new ballot of Democratic candidates—beating out established names like Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and performing effectively in predominantly white counties, regardless of having spent much less on the race up to now.
If he wins, he’d be the primary African American governor within the state of New Jersey and solely the second Black governor at present in workplace, subsequent to Gov. Wes Moore in Maryland. Solely six Black governors have ever been elected within the historical past of the US of America, with two throughout the post-slavery period, Reconstruction.
“The considered that’s humbling,” Baraka instructed TheGrio in an unique interview on the Swahili Village restaurant in downtown Newark. “It’s loads of stress to be the primary African American governor of the state or one in every of two within the nation.”
Regardless of the stress, Baraka is heartened by the constructive ballot numbers that point out his authenticity on the marketing campaign path is working in his favor.
“Some folks have instructed us over and over that no one goes to know you down south, that white suburban voters usually are not going to vote for you,” Mayor Baraka instructed TheGrio. “They have been flawed… The timing is true. I feel all of this, in my thoughts, [is] occurring for a motive.”
A former college principal turned metropolis council member, Baraka’s title could also be acquainted outdoors of the Backyard State for a number of causes. He’s a Howard grad and the son of well-known poet and activist Amiri Baraka. His conversations together with his college students have been a part of the Grammy Award-winning album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and he additionally succeeded Cory Booker in his race for Mayor of Newark, the town the place Baraka was born and raised.
Newark is a predominantly Black metropolis with the biggest inhabitants within the state. Whereas some information shops as soon as deemed it the “homicide capital” of the US, Baraka has presided over a metropolis that features a main discount in crime and rising enterprise and residential improvement. Whereas the stability between bringing in new residents and stopping the pushout of gentrification is a fragile one, Baraka says he’s pleased with his report and thinks it’s a robust one to run on.
“We invested nearly $200 million in Black and brown companies within the final 4 years, proper right here in Newark,” Baraka tells TheGrio. “We recovered from a severe recession. We made millionaires within the metropolis. We put folks into housing that they owned. We lowered the price of broadband. We lowered folks’s well being care prices.”
Baraka says he needs to carry his model of inclusive and holistic progress to the position of governor of New Jersey, with a marketing campaign message some would name daring within the period of anti-DEI insurance policies—centering fairness.
“We now have to speak about [equity] in a really clear and logical method,” Baraka tells TheGrio. “As a result of folks don’t assume range and fairness and inclusion have any financial consequence, and it does, proper?”
“Companies do effectively due to range,” he continued, mentioning the backlash in opposition to Goal has hit the corporate’s backside line.
When requested why he isn’t afraid to middle fairness at a time when many firms, colleges, and even politicians are operating away from it, Baraka was unapologetic.
“They’ve been relying on the truth that the cities and the suburbs are so divided, that the north and the south are so divided, that we will’t carry folks collectively… The truth that this message is bringing folks collectively scares them,” he instructed TheGrio.
Equally, Baraka has been direct in his critiques of the Trump administration’s insurance policies, holding a rally after the president’s false claims about Haitian immigrants and pushing again in opposition to anti-DEI efforts.
“This isn’t typical time. So we will’t do what we usually do. I feel that’s what the Democrats have—a really previous playbook that hasn’t labored,” Baraka defined.
Baraka, who’s each a father and a husband, is especially enthusiastic about schooling and says that even within the period of Trump dismantling the Division of Training, establishments just like the Black church, heritage colleges, and group teams can function a information.
“These establishments saved us secure, gave us confidence, helped us be safe,” Baraka tells TheGrio.
These very establishments have teamed up with a rising record of supporters to marketing campaign for Baraka throughout the state of New Jersey. The latest “Girls for Ras Baraka” fundraiser included notable native figures comparable to Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and the mayor’s spouse, political strategist Linda Baraka.
Baraka says that Democrats shouldn’t be scared by threats from the White Home or elsewhere about potential penalties for advocating for insurance policies centered on range and fairness however as a substitute ought to concentrate on the facility of what they’ve to supply.
His coverage plans for New Jersey embody rising the housing provide, increasing healthcare, common revenue, and making voting simpler for residents, together with teenagers. He’s pushed again in opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdowns in Newark, which have included roundups that detained U.S. residents and folks with a authorized proper to be within the nation. It’s a progressive platform that the mayor says equates to widespread sense.
“We all the time defend ourselves, so we’re on the defensive on a regular basis,” Baraka defined. “Individuals need management now. They don’t wish to have a debate about it. They wish to know that you just’re with them.”
The Democratic main for governor is June 10, 2025. If Baraka wins, he’ll face the Republican candidate for governor on November 4, 2025.
Natasha S. Alford is the Senior Vice President of TheGrio. A acknowledged journalist, filmmaker and TV persona, Alford can also be writer of the award-winning e-book, “American Negra.” (HarperCollins, 2024) Observe her on Twitter and Instagram at @natashasalford.
