Baraka begins cable, streaming, digital ads

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has launched his first major statewide ad buy in his bid to become the Democratic nominee for governor, spending $120,000-per-week on cable, streaming services, digital platforms, and social media.

The ad, “Meet Ras Baraka,” is narrated by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) and depicts the three-term mayor of New Jersey’s largest city as a transformative man of the people who cut crime in Newark by 60%.

Script: “Born in the South Ward, Mayor Ras Baraka will be the governor for all of us because he is one of us. Ras learned the importance of an education, earning a degree from Howard University. He learned the importance of mentoring our youth, becoming a principal, and changing students’ lives. As mayor, Ras turned Newark around, lowering crime by 60% and taking on Trump. As governor, Ras Baraka will make New Jersey the fair and affordable state that it can be.”

“For months, our opponents and the political class have tried to count us out, but our ability to go on air, before anyone thought we would, is proof that our message is breaking through,” Baraka stated. “We are reaching voters in every corner of the state, talking about the issues that matter most – healthcare, housing, education, and public safety. Our movement is powered by the people, and we aren’t going anywhere.”

For Democrats to win in November, Watson Coleman says, “we need to elect the candidate with the clearest Democratic vision – an executive who has always put working people first and a leader who can unify the broad coalition needed to win.”

“Ras Baraka is that leader. He has never wavered in his commitment to everyday people, to workers, to families struggling to get by and striving to get ahead. He is the kind of leader who doesn’t just talk about justice – he makes it a reality in our schools, in our housing policies, in our economic agenda,” said Watson Coleman. “He has transformed Newark by bringing investment, opportunity, and equity to its people, and that is the kind of leadership our state and our country need right now.”