Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a 'radical' turned pragmatist, launches bid for governor

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.