State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark), a longtime fixture in Newark politics, announced this morning that he is endorsing rapper Dupré Kelly for the Newark City Council’s West Ward.
“I believe Dupré Kelly is in the strongest position to unite city administrators and West Ward leaders and residents,” Rice said in a statement. “By bringing everyone onto common ground, he will strengthen an alliance that continues to put focus on the city services and public safety resources we need to get crime off our streets, clean up decaying properties and empty lots, pave our roads and rid our sidewalks of garbage.”
Kelly is running this May on Mayor Ras Baraka’s ticket, and today’s endorsement further solidifies him as a frontrunner for the seat. He previously ran an independent bid for an at-large council seat in 2018, getting an impressive 3,551 votes and beating out several more established candidates.
His two most prominent opponents are former South Ward Councilman Oscar James and attorney Chigozie Onyema; Lyndon Brown, Lavita Johnson, and Michelle Lyn Middleton are also running.
Rice, who has served in the State Senate since 1986, has his own long history of involvement in Newark politics. A former city councilman and deputy mayor, Rice ran for mayor twice, losing to Sharpe James in 1998 and to Cory Booker in 2006.
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January 24, 2020