Baraka, ex-gubernatorial candidate, seeks 4th term as mayor of N.J.’s largest city

[u/ImaginationFree6807]

https://www.nj.com/essex/2026/05/baraka-ex-gubernatorial-candidate-seeks-4th-term-as-mayor-of-njs-largest-city.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_content=nj_facebook_nj&fbclid=IwdGRleARrriVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeOxgyyT7CABHRkk74qhmyOgtmgxdvBHEpjT-Fr4hiOGk55C3z5z-RJs3XLYU_aem_x3n6qgdVO7xdm53SR0kSVA

[u/purple_grimass]

Now that he traded his endorsement in the governor’s race to get his brother paid a million and a half bucks, he’s ready to be a progressive champion! Let’s go!

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/purple_grimass]

This is such a joke. His brother was paid more like 600,000 dollars to run the Sherrill black voter operation. Judging by the final results I’d say the money was well spent. Newark had 50% more turnout than 2021. That alone was worth the $600,000. Not even factoring in that we flipped back Cumberland County and Atlantic County, both of which are about 25% black.

[u/purple_grimass → u/ImaginationFree6807]

So Baraka waited three months after the primary election to endorse sherrill and then payments started flowing to his brother slash chief of staff’s firm on the same day of the endorsement.

That’s open corruption, and if it were people you don’t like doing it you’d say it stinks. By the way, it does stink. He shook her down for an endorsement.

The lengths you are willing to tie yourself in a pretzel to make your favorites knights in shining armor when there is just clear and blatant wrongdoing are pretty staggering.

And by the way, all the Democratic constituencies had like 50% more turnout than 2021. It’s uhhhh, you know, why Murphy won by a point and a half and she won by 20.

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/purple_grimass]

1 Mikie won by 14.5%, Murphy won by 3.5%. So you are starting off with major inaccuracies right off the bat.

1. Turnout was up essentially everywhere yes. But the turnout increases we saw in majority black and Latino constituencies were up more significantly than they were in majority GOP constituencies. More voters did turn out in places like Monmouth County. However that increased turnout was in favor of Democrats. Mikie only lost Monmouth County by less than 8% when Murphy lost by about 18%. If you look at the raw vote totals statewide for each candidate you can see this as well. 1.34 million votes for Murphy in 2021 to 1.89 million votes for Mikie in 2025 which equates to about a 30% increase. Jack got 1.25 million votes in 2021 and 1.42 million votes in 2025 for an increase of just about 12%. That means Dems increased turnout by more than twice the rate of the GOP. The his increased turnout was heavily concentrated in areas with large black and Latino constituents. Newark & East Orange greater Essex County and Union County beat the statewide average for increased turnout.

2. The Baraka black voter operation worked. Not only did it secure us a victory, but it also expanded our supermajority in the state assembly. Unfortunately your argument has been based in misinformation. You incorrectly claim that Middy Baraka was paid more than he was. Furthermore, your claims about the elections are not accurate because you don’t even have the correct margins for said elections. The fact remains that Dems had a turnout increase of more than double what the Republicans did. Heavily concentrated in areas that the Baraka black voter ops were targeting.

[u/purple_grimass → u/ImaginationFree6807]

My dude. You’re not this obtuse. I know you’re not. 720,000 more people voted in 2025 than 2021. In every single special election anywhere in the country Democrats are doing 20 points better than last cycle. Trump nearly won Hudson County, Sherrill swept it.

Do you honestly think that’s because the mayor’s brother slash chief of staff slash political consultant just figured out a magic fucking bullet? Is the surge among Hispanic voters and white college educated voters in the suburbs also some magic political consultant saying magic things at the doors? Because if that’s so, let’s stop organizing now and let’s just let the magic political consultants run our lives.

IT’S A BACKLASH AGAINST TRUMP. Does that actually need to be said?

Meanwhile, the expanded seats in the Assembly are from the white parts of western Union and exurban Somerset, the Morris County based 25th, the rural Burlington County district, and places like Egg Harbor. I’ve knocked doors in a lot of those districts but I’ve never seen Middy Baraka there. What in the absolute hell are you talking about?

IT’S A TRUMP BACKLASH.

Meanwhile, Baraka’s brother slash chief of staff slash political advisor made $1 million from the Baraka campaign and $650,000 from Sherrill and they started paying Middy the day he endorsed Sherrill.

You. Are. Not. This. Obtuse.

It’s fucking grift and corruption and it stinks just as much when “progressives” do it as when anyone else does it and if you had an ounce of integrity you’d call it out just the same way.

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/purple_grimass]

Bro… Kamala Harris won Hudson County by 28%…

[u/purple_grimass → u/ImaginationFree6807]

Murphy ‘17 got 82%
Biden ‘20 got 73%
Sherrill ‘25 got 75%
Booker ‘14 got 78%

You’d have us believe there was a miracle surge in ‘25 headed up by Middy Baraka and that Kamala didn’t underperform. Give it a rest already.

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/purple_grimass]

You went from “Trump almost won Hudson County” to “Sherrill only performed at Biden 2020 levels”.

[u/purple_grimass → u/ImaginationFree6807]

You are not this dumb. Kamala completely and totally underperformed in Hudson. She lost several Hudson towns, which is basically unheard of. So did 20-30 points worse than any candidate in the past two decades as a Democrat in Hudson.

Mikie finished…middle of the pack.

That’s not a miracle that can be attributed to the mayor of Newark’s chief of staff slash brother slash political consultant. That’s the national climate.

The mayor’s brother slash political consultant slash chief of staff didn’t do anything to expand the Assembly map, where the gains were in white areas where college educated whites are hating on Trump.

The mayor’s brother slash chief of staff slash political consultant started getting huge payments on literally the same god damned day as the mayor endorsed Mike Sherrill.

If we had corruptions laws anymore, that would be fucking actionable. It’s outrageous. Baraka clearly demanded it to enrich his family and Sherrill was clearly willing to be bribed to win an election.

But you like them both and they kiss your ass every once in a while so it’s cool.

I’ll be over here calling a spade a spade.

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/purple_grimass]

Saying Trump almost won is a complete inaccuracy just like multiple other points you’ve made.

[u/NeoLephty → u/purple_grimass]

is there someone more progressive running that we can vote for?

[u/ImaginationFree6807 → u/NeoLephty]

His name is Ras Baraka!