Rice praises Baraka but says too early to talk of 2025 gubernatorial bid

State Sen. Ron Rice (D-Newark) praised Newark Mayor Ras Baraka but said it was too early to name him a 2025 gubernatorial hopeful.

“I think right now he’s doing a good job as mayor, so we’re going to leave it at that. I support him, I watched him grow up,” he said of Baraka.

The two-term mayor was re-elected with a record-setting 77% of the vote in 2018, buoyed by wide margins in each of the city’s wards.

Top New Jersey Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-North Bergen), have floated his name as a potential statewide candidate in the future.

But Rice said talks about a possible gubernatorial run were premature.

“All the other mayors have come up short in terms of keeping progress going forward, and I don’t want the bumps in the road,” he said. “So, it’s too early to talk about 2025.”