Denied by Establishment, Baraka Energized by 2024 Results
The allies of Mayor Ras Baraka see an opportunity on the political landscape suddenly lit up by the 2024 presidential election. If Donald Trump can drill into his own base and create raw energy, so can Baraka, who cut his teeth on bullhorn street politics and symbolically swore in the entire city on the night he first won the mayoralty in 2014 as a statement of people power.
A 2025 anti-establishment candidate for governor, Baraka has not proved a good money generator early. He has $166K in the bank right now, compared to fundraising juggernaut Josh Gottheimer, an imminent contender in the governor’s contest, who had $20 million in his FEC account in the middle of last month. In addition, Baraka will not likely secure the endorsements of any of the 21 county party organizations (though he does have the support of veteran U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman). Without organization ties (not a huge issue his backers maintain, on the heels of a judge ordering the Legislator to dispense with county party organization lines) or a lot of money, Team Baraka has an “ok, let’s go for broke” attitude, trusting in the cult of personality presence of their candidate.
They trust that Baraka, an expert communicator, rousing speechmaker, and sharp-elbowed debater, can push through the crowd and distinguish himself in the growing field of Democratic Party contenders. They read the results of last week’s presidential election as a statement of fear by white voters about increasing numbers of browns and blacks in the country and intend to furnish a vital countervailing bulwark message meant to spike urban turnout in a Democratic Primary. New Jersey’s politically neglected cities, they maintain, will be starved for Baraka’s energizing candidacy.
Their take on Trump? His supporters can’t say what he says and they back him because that’s how they feel. He’s saying out loud what they think. Baraka is prepared to be the establishment disrupter from the Black urban left, igniting voters fed up with a tepid democratic Party that just got trampled nationally.
Okay. But Baraka hasn’t really impressed in a local election. With the exception of his 2014 campaign, he’s never transferred his electric energy into commanding citywide numbers. His allis maintain that’s because he hasn’t had a real citywide rival. They admit he might fight down to his level of competition a little, running over challenges in 2018 and 2022 that never looked strong.
But they say he’s saving himself for this, a real contest, and promise a hard-hitting door-to-door ground game to get their candidate loudly in position to reduce the other contenders by sheer force of personality coming together with populist opportunity.
At the root of it, their view is not unlike that of Dr. Eddie Glaude of Princeton University, who “challenges the notion that economic anxiety alone explains support for Trump, suggesting instead that identity politics—mainly white identity—plays a central role. He argues that voters often overlook Trump’s transgressions because his message aligns with underlying racial and cultural insecurities. Ruhle, meanwhile, argues that some voters are driven by economic hardship, to which Glaude responds that this view oversimplifies the influence of race in American politics.”
What does author mean, calling supporters of Baraka part of his “cult of personality”? Sounds like an insult wrapped in phony compliment?
Imho Ras Baraka has the most needed qualities to govern NJ. Except billions in his own bank account, and any type of cult.
Go to Audible and listen to “The Book of Baraka” to hear him speak to all of New Jersey. Or read news of Newark discovering lead water pipes. Fixed in one year vs five or more elsewhere in USA. Discovers one single company scammed city, immediately fixes that and pressed charges on scammer.
NJ has elected too many very wealthy, unqualified politicians. Let’s look at every challenger, every party, for brains, proven skills in a Jersey environment, and reaching across the aisle.
Democrats haven’t reached across the aisle in Washington, D.C. or Trenton, N.J. They try and keep the boot heel on NJ Republicans–and all New Jerseyans for that matter. New Jersey has been sliding down the slippery slope for decades under the Democrat-Communist controlled Legislature. With the carpetbagger–Gov. Phil KNUCKLEHEAD Murphy–in office, we’ve even turned into a ‘sanctuary state’, further going down the sh*thole.
Also, under Gov. KNUCKLEHEAD, we’ve lost more constitutional rights, specifically under the First and Second Amendments. Murphy shut out media during the COVID pandemic and would only talk to the media people he picked. Murphy forced many to take the poisonous vaccines, even arresting fining those who refused. ONLY A TYRANT DOES THIS!!!! Murphy is now stating he wants to fight Trump and the Republicans over their position for removing ‘sanctuary cities’ and ‘sanctuary states’.
I say this to Murphy. You’ve got one (1) year left in office. It is now time to GET OUT OF THE WAY, and let the Dept. of Homeland Security, ICE, border patrol, and maybe the military remove the ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS–or face the consequences of interfering with National Security!!!!!!!! If you don’t Phil, we’ll be waving to you while you’re in Gitmo!!!!!
Wow – turns out, A LOT gets done in government and when you research it, you see that many bills that have actually HELPED NJ and the US were passed. I’ll start with the infrastructure bill first & foremost. Could not have passed with only 1 party… let’s come together and celebrate the work that HAS. been done…
The NJEA is the most group in New Jersey. And they endorsed Sean Spiller for Governor 2025.
Baraka stated, “that he was an educator for over 20 years: a substitute, a teacher, a vice principal and a principal. That he was not allowed an interview by the NJEA PAC endorsement committee is troubling at best. At worst, it’s extremely questionable since the person they endorsed is actually the president of the
organization.”
The endorsement was made 3 days after an unusual early interviewing process. The only one interviewed was its’ President, Sean Spiller.
People just want fairness, which may be just wishful thinking when it comes to politics.
Edit: The NJEA is the most powerful group…..