Early Career and Community Roots:

• Before holding office, Ras Baraka was a poet, educator, principal, coach, mentor, and activist, deeply engaged with Newark’s communities.


• Member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men.

Leadership as Mayor of Newark (2014–Present):

• Elected Mayor of Newark in 2014 and has served multiple terms leading the city through transformational change.


• Reduced violent crime to a 60-year low through community-based violence intervention and strategic policing.


• Mandated that 20% of all new developments include affordable housing — a policy that influenced state-level legislation.


• Reduced chronic street homelessness by 60%.


• Replaced 23,000 lead service lines in just three years, ahead of the state’s timeline and at no cost to residents.


• Strengthened Newark’s economy by attracting businesses, fostering partnerships, and creating thousands of local jobs.


• Directed over $132 million in support to Black, brown, and women-owned businesses over four years.


• Launched Newark’s first-ever climate action plan to support green infrastructure and sustainability.


• Distributed over one million meals to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.


• Oversaw major development efforts that will reshape Newark’s skyline for the first time in over 100 years.

Ras Baraka is a transformational leader with a decade of experience as Mayor of Newark, where he implemented bold, community-centered reforms. Now running for Governor, Baraka brings a visionary platform focused on equity, justice, and inclusive progress.

He champions a “People’s Budget” that flips New Jersey’s fiscal priorities—from serving the wealthy to investing in working families. His housing reform calls for holding municipalities accountable, expanding supply, and eliminating outdated home rule barriers that stall affordable development. Baraka sees healthcare—including reproductive care—as a human right and proposes systemic reforms to address health disparities, especially for underserved communities.

His economic plan focuses on raising the floor for all New Jerseyans by strengthening workers’ rights, stabilizing families, and promoting small business growth. On democracy, Baraka pushes for voting rights expansion, randomized ballots, campaign finance reform, and full transparency through OPRA restoration—ensuring government serves all people, not just the privileged.

A longtime advocate of environmental justice, he plans aggressive statewide climate action modeled on Newark’s success—like green zoning laws, stormwater management, and sustainable food networks. Through this bold platform, Baraka offers voters a deeply principled alternative centered on justice, opportunity, and community-driven governance.