Baraka approvals soaring, new poll says

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has a favorables of 73%-11% in his home city, according to a poll conducted by New Jersey Education Foundation.

The Newark Teachers Union (NTU) has favorables of 63-12%.  The union is part of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

Charter Schools generically have favorables of 63%-16%

Baraka won a stunning landslide victory for re-election to a second term last May, taking 77% of the vote against Central Ward councilwoman Gayle Cheneyfield Jenkins. He carried all five wards by massive margins as he beat Cheneyfield Jenkins by 15,176 votes – 21,490 to 6,314.

His 2018 percentage was the highest of any Newark mayor in a contested race since the direct elections began in 1954.  But turnout was down considerably from the 44,951 in 2014 and Cory Booker still holds the record for the best margin: 21,797 in 2006.

The poll was conducted in several batches between October 1-28 and had a sample size of 302 November 2018 likely voters in Newark.