Independent candidate for Mayor Mustapha Muhammed of Plainfield in recent days notched the endorsement of retiring state Senator Ray Lesniak (D-20).

“He’s a great guy, he’s a spiritual leader,” said Lesniak in a Facebook video, referring to the independent mayoral candidate. “He will bring change to Plainfield. He will put the people in power in Plainfield and that’s what Plainfield needs.”

In the video, Lesniak and Muhammed appear together on a basketball court and in full view of a crowd of people.

Muhammed is running against incumbent Mayor Adrian Mapp, a heavy favorite in the Union County Democratic city, who’s running on the line with Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-22), chairman of the Union County Democratic Party.

In an off the line effort, Lesniak ran for governor in the June Democratic Primary, losing to former Ambassador to Germany and retired Goldman Sachs executive Phil Murphy.