Group of Mercer officials endorse Baraka for governor

A group of Mercer County officials endorsed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for governor Wednesday.

Mercer County Commissioners Samuel Frisby and Terrance Stokes, Ewing Councilman Kevin Baxter, and Trenton Councilwoman Teska Frisby endorsed the progressive Democrat in a Wednesday release. Mercer County Democrats will meet at their convention next Wednesday to endorse a gubernatorial candidate.

“Mayor Baraka doesn’t just talk about solutions, he’s lived through the struggles and led the fight to overcome them,” Commissioner Frisby said in the release. “He’s closer to the problems facing everyday New Jerseyans, and that makes him closer to the solutions. From Newark to the statehouse, we need a leader who understands what it means to fight for working families.”

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), whose district includes seven Mercer County municipalities, endorsed Baraka last year. The Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, the pastor of the Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in Trenton and the founder of Salvation and Social Justice, endorsed Baraka as well.

In the release, Baraka’s campaign said the endorsements signify the mayor’s momentum across the state as the gubernatorial race gains steam.

In the state’s first Democratic convention Sunday, Hunterdon committee members endorsed Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair). Baraka finished second, winning about 43% of support in the convention.

Sherrill has received endorsements from Mercer County officials including Democratic County Chair Janice Mironov, Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler, Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello, and three county commissioners.

Baraka’s endorsers said the mayor has shown effective leadership in Newark and would help working families as governor.

“Mayor Baraka has been battle-tested in ways no other candidate has,” Stokes said. “He has demonstrated his ability to create opportunities for growth and unity. New Jersey needs someone with that level of resolve and vision in Trenton.”