For Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the entire Democratic Party needs a reset.
On Tuesday afternoon, the progressive gubernatorial candidate took the offensive to Montclair, the home of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, whom some consider the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination come June 10. In an address outside a branch of the Montclair Public Library, Baraka offered a strong rebuke of Sherrill’s candidacy and a complete rebuke of the state Democratic Party, which he believes is complicit in allowing opportunity and wealth disparities that harm New Jerseyans of color.
Sherrill has led in all polls in the Democratic primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy. With nearly 10,000 Democrats having already voted by mail, time is running out for candidates to stand out in a crowded, splintered field.
Competitors, including Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and former Senate President Steve Sweeney, have increasingly criticized Sherrill, but none have yet put money behind negative campaign messaging. Baraka spokesperson Kabir Moss told the New Jersey Globe that the campaign will not spend any funds on negative messaging against fellow Democratic candidates, instead focusing on the mayor’s positive vision for the state.
Baraka’s visit to Montclair comes during a moment of uncertainty for the party, as much of the Democratic base is angry with what they perceive as inaction against President Donald Trump from party leaders. Channeling a sentiment similar to that anger, saying the congresswoman’s ideas for the state don’t truly tackle the issue of racial disparity.
The mayor said Democrats across the state, including the governor, county party leaders, and legislators, have failed to address key equity issues. He pointed out that African American women are as much as seven times more likely to die while giving birth in hospitals, and the government gives fewer contracts to Black-, Brown-, and female-owned businesses.
In a candidate forum last week, Sherrill was asked how the state should work to close the racial wealth gap in New Jersey. As part of her answer, the congresswoman said decreasing educational disparities and improving childhood literacy would be key. (Sherrill also said closing home ownership disparities would be vital for creating generational wealth for Black families in the state.)
Baraka said the answer struck him as “tone-deaf” and that it sidesteps the discrimination he says is responsible for the wealth gap.
“Our congresswoman … says that the wealth gap can be fixed by making sure that third graders know how to read,” he said. “I think that if that was coming from a Republican, it would be considered racist. … The wealth gap is created by years and years of discrimination.”
In a statement, Sherrill said she’s fought against systemic racism and for opportunity for all in the military, as a federal prosecutor, and in Congress. She called inequity in the state “a moral outrage” and said addressing the issue will be a top priority if elected.
“I absolutely agree that there is deeply-rooted systemic racism in New Jersey that must be addressed,” the congresswoman said. “The fact is that opportunity is not available to everyone, and we must do better on a broad range of issues, including education, housing, supporting small businesses, health care, criminal justice, and environmental justice.”
Baraka also criticized Fulop, though not by name, for comments the Jersey City mayor and gubernatorial candidate made at a separate forum this month. Fulop said urban and minority communities have fewer opportunities to learn how to navigate an increasingly complicated health insurance system. Baraka said Fulop should recant the statement, which he said implied people of color “can’t navigate Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.”
The mayor said that if Sherrill (or whoever the Democratic candidate is) doesn’t appropriately address equity-related issues in the campaign, they risk alienating voters of color in a general election that could be tight.
The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump made inroads with Black and Hispanic voters in last year’s election. Baraka said members of the Democratic base haven’t felt seen by candidates like Murphy and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and have thus stayed home.
He considers himself a member of that alienated group. He said that Black voters in the state might not feel inspired to vote for Sherrill if she wins the Democratic nomination, and he implied that he might not vote for her in a general election.
“I wouldn’t say [her record] disqualifies her from running,” he said. “What I would say is that, in my mind, it would disqualify me from voting for her.”
The mayor said his strong words aren’t a permanent disavowal of Sherrill or any other Democrat, but rather a push for a more aggressive embrace of issues harming New Jerseyans of color. He also accused the congresswoman of not being strong enough against Wall Street and strict immigration policies.
“This is not an opportunity to hate on the congresswoman,” Baraka told a small crowd of reporters. “This is the opportunity to tell [the party] to correct the direction. If you’re going to say, ‘We need to get rid of the old playbook,’ then damn it, that is the old playbook.”
Baraka announced he will release a platform focused on improving equity in the state. He said the plan will be focused on closing racial gaps in home ownership, healthcare access, procurement, and small-business programs.
“At the end of the day, I’m asking and demanding that the Democratic Party move away from its tone-deaf policies, from the policies that alienate Black and Brown people in this state, that alienate working people,” he said.