Baraka slams pre-ordained Democratic county conventions

Ras Baraka wants the rest of the field of candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor to reject organization endorsements from counties where rank-and-file county committee members have little say over the outcome.

He accused some county chairs – he didn’t name them individually – of endorsing candidates before the vote, and alleged others “manipulate the process in more subtle but equally damaging ways – individually endorsing candidates prior to their convention.”

Some county chairs, Baraka claims, deny them access to critical components they need to compete: the names of delegates, short notice on convention dates, and  “preventing proper outreach and stacking the deck before the vote is even held.”

“These tactics may be less obvious than a unilateral endorsement, but they produce the same result: a process that feels rigged and a party that alienates the very people it claims to represent,” said Baraka, the three-term mayor of Newark.  “No debate. No influence from the very people who are supposed to represent the heart of our party.”

Baraka’s criticism of the process comes in advance of Wednesday’s Mercer County Democratic convention, where key party leaders have endorsed Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair).

Baraka believes some county chairs are simply making an end-run around a decision last year by U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi to eliminate the line.

“This is the same undemocratic concentration of power that the elimination of the county line was meant to address – yet it persists, leaving voters and committee members alike disillusioned and distrustful of our leadership.”

But Baraka said he would still participate in conventions and praised the first-in-the-state Hunterdon County Democratic convention, where Sherrill defeated him on the second ballot.

“I left that experience with a deep appreciation for the integrity of their process – one where every candidate had the chance to make their case, and every committee member’s vote truly mattered. Hunterdon County demonstrated what democracy should look like in our party,” he said.

In a letter to Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) and Sherrill, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, and former Senate President Steve Sweeney, Baraka asked his primary opponents to denounce endorsements “made without a democratic process.”    Another candidate, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, has already said he won’t compete in conventions and has strongly criticized the process.

“We must take a stand against anyone who undermines democracy – whether it’s Donald Trump attacking it from the outside or Democratic leaders here at home eroding it from within,” stated Baraka.  “I urge you to stand with me in this commitment.”

In his letter, Baraka called for specific reforms in the post-line county endorsement process: full transparency access to county committee contact information, considerable advance notice of meetings, and a ban on pre-convention county chair endorsements.

He wants “a convention where every committee member has a meaningful vote on a secret ballot, ensuring fairness, protecting against pressure or retaliation, and allowing members to vote their conscience.”