Q&A with Mayor Ras Baraka
The Positive Community reached out to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to ask about his candidacy, qualifications, the current political climate, and how his leadership as Governor would affect New Jersey residents.
What do you believe are New Jersey’s most pressing issues, and what can/will you do to address them and make improvements?
New Jersey is facing a housing crisis, a healthcare affordability crisis, and a deeply unfair tax structure. We’re short over 230,000 affordable units—we need to cap rent increases to stabilize families while we build. I’ll establish a First-Loss Capital Fund to jumpstart affordable housing construction and push zoning reform to break down the barriers keeping us from solving this crisis. Healthcare costs are eating household budgets and draining state and local resources. We need a reference-based pricing model to rein in costs systemically. And we need to flip our tax code right side up—because right now, it favors the wealthy while working families carry the burden. That has to change.
You’ve been mayor of the City of Newark for more than a decade now. How do you feel that has prepared you for being Governor?
Leading Newark through crisis and transformation has made me uniquely qualified to serve as Governor. We brought crime to a 60-year low, closed a $93 million deficit without layoffs, secured two credit rating upgrades, and brought in thousands of jobs and businesses without displacing residents. We built a third of the state’s affordable housing in Newark alone and replaced 23,000 lead service lines in just three years—when the state said it would take ten. None of that happened by accident. It took leadership, collaboration, and a clear vision. Being Governor means building coalitions to move in one direction, and I’ve done that every day as mayor.
What does the role of Governor mean to you, and which responsibilities do you consider the most important?
Government should be the foundation on which we build a just, fair, and humane society. It’s how we say, collectively, that no one falls below a certain floor. As Governor, my responsibility is to fight for the human right to housing, to healthcare, to dignity and justice—and to make that vision real.
How will you support small businesses, which are a crucial part of New Jersey’s economy?
In Newark, we supported small businesses by providing direct access to startup capital—especially for Black, Brown, and women-owned enterprises—and by creating workforce development pipelines that offered real alternatives to traditional education. I’ll take those strategies statewide and ensure small businesses, not big corporations, are the engine of our economy.
With DEI in the crosshairs of the federal government, how will you ensure justice and opportunity for New Jersey’s minority population?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not buzzwords or weaknesses—they are pillars of New Jersey’s strength. Nearly half our population identifies as nonwhite or multiracial. Excluding people is not just morally bankrupt—it’s bad economic policy. I will ensure the state’s procurement dollars reflect our values by investing directly in minority-owned businesses and contractors. Additionally, I will prioritize diversity at all levels of state boards, commissions, and judgeships.
Government jobs have been on the chopping block lately. What ideas do you have to help those who used to have stable government jobs find new jobs as well as make it through any downtime?
While the federal government guts Medicare and public jobs to fund billionaire tax breaks, we need to do the opposite. By ensuring the wealthiest individuals and corporations pay their fair share, we can invest in public workers, services, and transportation. This is a moment to double down on public investment—to make New Jersey a laboratory of democracy that proves doing the right thing works for all of us.
Also pertaining to DEI, how do you plan to ensure education, arts, and culture will continue to reflect the diversity of the state of New Jersey?
Arts and culture are economic drivers—and they are also how we tell the story of who we are. I’ll continue to champion investments in arts, culture, and education that reflect our state’s diversity. New Jersey has always been a creative powerhouse, and we need to nurture that legacy by funding inclusive programming at every level.
You were recently targeted by ICE at the Delaney Hall facility and arrested. Afterward, the charges were dropped and you were invited to tour the facility. Can you offer any comment or conclusion on why you were arrested and why the charges were subsequently dropped?
I didn’t break any laws. I was invited onto the property, asked to leave, and I complied. Yet I was arrested anyway. The charges were dropped because they were baseless. However, the message was clear: if you stand up to Trump’s agenda, you become a target. That day, it was me. Today, it’s Congresswoman LaMonica McIver. This isn’t about law enforcement—it’s about bullying dissent.
The current presidential administration has been demanding compliance from various entities and states, saying federal funding will be halted in cases of non-compliance. How will you address this issue if New Jersey is given this ultimatum?
We will not bend the knee. I will work to build a coalition of governors—just like universities are doing now—so we stand united against federal coercion. States like California, Illinois, and Maryland must stand with New Jersey. No state should fight this fight alone.
You have great name recognition in the state of New Jersey. What do you want New Jersey voters to know about you that they might not yet know?
Before I was mayor, I was an educator. I’ve been a substitute teacher, a teacher, a vice principal, and a principal in Newark’s public schools. And in those classrooms, I saw clearly how education is inseparable from housing, food insecurity, and healthcare. These issues are all connected, and we won’t solve them unless we approach them together. That’s the kind of Governor I intend to be.
