Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark. A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House.

Ras Jua Baraka (born April 9, 1969 [1] [2] or 1970 [3] [4]) is an American politician, author, and educator. A member of the Democratic Party, Baraka is the 40th and current mayor of Newark, New Jersey. First elected in the 2014 election, he was sworn into office on May 13, 2014, [5] and was reelected in 2018 and 2022.

Mar 25, 2024 · Ras Baraka couldn’t be less like Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott. A Black Democrat raised by activist poets, he is the mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, Newark, and proclaimed it a sanctuary...

Apr 25, 2024 · If Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is elected governor of New Jersey in next year’s election, he’d make a lot of history. He’d be the first Black person elected to lead the state; in fact, no major party in New Jersey has ever even nominated a person of color for governor in the 180 years of direct gubernatorial elections.

Nov 13, 2024 · Citing his vision and values, a massive coalition of 76 faith leaders from Atlantic to Bergen and of diverse denominations have endorsed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for governor in next year’s Democratic primary.

Jan 29, 2025 · Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced tonight that he will run for governor in 2025, becoming the third Democrat to join the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy. Baraka launched his campaign in Trenton at a Black History Month event honoring Divine 9 organizations at the War Memorial’s Patriots Theater.

Feb 22, 2024 · Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is charting out an unabashedly progressive lane in the primary to succeed Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, eschewing what he described as incremental centrist politics.

Feb 20, 2024 · Newark Mayor Ras Baraka laid out his "vision for New Jersey" on Tuesday at Rowan University, one day after officially announcing his run for governor. The Democratic mayor confirmed his words and marked his stamp of approval as he joined the gubernatorial race.

May 10, 2022 · Ras Baraka is the Mayor of Newark in New Jersey. He assumed office on July 1, 2014. His current term ends on June 30, 2026. Baraka (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of New Jersey. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on June 10, 2025. [source] Mayoral elections in Newark are nonpartisan.

Sep 30, 2024 · On an August day in 2011, a man stood outside City Hall in Newark, New Jersey, exhorting a crowd through a wireless microphone. “Stop giving love to these psychopaths,” he roared.