Democrats used to consider him a radical now Newark mayor Ras Baraka is running for the party's nomination to be the next Governor the mayor of New Jersey's largest city made his announcement unexpectedly on Monday during an impassioned speech for Black History Month he's the third Democrat and arguably the most Progressive to join the crowded field for the 2025 election baraka's Roots Run Deep through Newark he's planning to run on the Legacy he's made there with a vow of fight for justice affordability and as he's often said in the past giving the power back to the people but do his staunch liberal views make him electable in a Statewide race senior political correspondent David Cruz reports I want to be the governor of the state of New Jersey as much speculation as there was about New York mayor Ras Baraka running for governor his announcement this week which electrified this audience at the War Memorial in Trenton took everyone by surprise including evidently the campaign itself I think he got caught up in the excitement that room was filled with people from Cape May to Trenton to Somerset and planfield obviously a lot of newer people um and I think that they were giving him that energy James G's Stono public affairs hosted the Black History Month celebration that served as the backdrop for the announcement he's a longtime friend and advisor he says Baraka the mayor of the state's largest city has a message that can resonate beyond the state's Urban centers so many people think that Newark is an anomaly it's a place where people are struggling and trying to get from the first of the month to the 30th month and I think Ras Baraka has discovered that the challenges of New Yorkers are the challenges of New Jersey Froot Loops and Apple Jacks may look different but they taste the same at a speech and Q&A at Rowan University yesterday Baraka brought that point home several times but the reality is the issues that I'm talking about are not City issues these are state issues housing is an issue in the state of New Jersey affordability is an issue in the state of New Jersey access to food is a problem in Cumberland county is a problem in Warren County is a problem in essence County there's a problem in Union County we're not talking about problems that are gerain to black people we're talking about problems that are that are problematic for all of us in the state of New Jersey and we all have a responsibility to address them together barck is a former School principal and city council member he's never been a glad-hander or particularly friendly to press he's run a tight political operation in the city and has not been seriously challenged in two reelection campaigns but he joins a democratic field that already includes Jersey city mayor Steve FIP former Senate President Steve Sweeney and will likely be joined by Congress members Mikey Cheryl and Josh gimer so as the pundits like to say you've got to have a lane and the geographic lanes are going to be um tight you know particularly in Essex County there's going to be more than one candidate coming out of Essex it looks like right and so he doesn't get a clear Lane nobody gets a clear Lane they get their own County maybe if they're lucky or they get you know two candidates from the county so you've got to distinguish yourself in some other way and I think the lane that he seems to be going after is the progressive Lane the most Progressive candidate in the race and as the son of poet activist and Firebrand Amiri Baraka the mayor says he is unafraid of the political challenges he may face I look forward to the storms because as a matter of fact I don't feel like I'm doing my job until the Storm shows up so I was born for these storms and I was born for this time and so as this race goes on New Jersey is never ever going to be the same no matter what happens in the end you mark my words the state will never be the same because Raz Baraka announced that he's running for governor in the state of New Jersey as kickoffs go baracas sent a charge into this race but with a US Senate primary and a presidential election all happening between now in the governor's race in 2025 they'll have to bottle that enthusiasm and sip slowly in order to make it last I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight news