Progressive coalition endorses Baraka for governor

A coalition of a half-dozen major progressive groups in the state endorsed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for governor on Thursday, according to a release.

Leaders from Rutgers AAUP-AFT, 32BJ SEIU, New Jersey Citizen Action, Make the Road Action New Jersey, New Jersey Working Families Party, and Workers United LDFS Joint Board said the progressive mayor is the best candidate to support working families and bring meaningful change to Trenton. The endorsements further solidify Baraka’s standing within the party’s progressive wing as six Democrats jostle for the nomination to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy.

“New Jerseyans face a grave affordability crisis, with health care, utility, and in particular housing costs continuing to spiral out of control,” said Dena Mottola Jaborska, the executive director for New Jersey Citizen Action. “Ras Baraka stands as the best choice from a field of talented candidates to address this crisis.”

The groups will hold a rally with Baraka on Monday, according to the release. Further details have not yet been released.

The coalition called the collective endorsement “unprecedented and historic.” The organizations said the fall of New Jersey’s county line ballot system allowed for a strong field of candidates, but argued Baraka’s policy plans and achievements as mayor make him the best choice.

The coalition argued Baraka is also the strongest candidate to resist President Trump as Democrats continue to reckon with the Republican president’s aggressive executive action.

“The Trump administration is disrupting—or canceling outright—life-saving biomedical research, attacking initiatives to promote democratic values, and terrorizing the most vulnerable students and scholars on our campuses. … We know we need a governor who can express our outrage and articulate an alternative that works for working people in New Jersey. We’re convinced Ras Baraka can do this like no other Democratic candidate,” said Rebecca Givan, the executive vice president of the AAUP-AFT union chapter at Rutgers University.

Baraka joined members from several of the groups last month to protest the planned opening of a migrant detention center in Newark.

Nedia Morsy, the New Jersey director of Make the Road Action New Jersey, a progressive group supporting immigrants and working New Jerseyans, praised the city of Newark’s lawsuit to stop the opening of the migrant detention center, as well as the mayor’s economic and tax plans.

“To turn the tides of voter apathy, we need a strong champion. A champion who will uphold the Constitution and won’t hand over the keys to our cities to the Trump administration’s mass deportation machine. A champion who will honor the contributions of immigrants and working families,” Morsy said. “Mayor Baraka is that champion.”