May 24, 2025
Trespassing charge against Baraka was dropped ahead of key gubernatorial endorsement.
After a trespassing charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was abruptly dismissed by U.S. District Judge Andre Espinosa, the Black Men Vote PAC endorsed him for New Jersey governor on May 23.
As Insider New Jersey reports, the endorsement signals a strong synergy between Baraka and the PAC as Baraka’s candidacy for the governorship continues to unfold.
Baraka also detailed to editors of the USA Today Network New Jersey Editorial Board shortly after being detained by Homeland Security officers that he believes that the Democratic Party has lost touch with its identity as a champion of the working people, not the elites that have captured the party’s attention recently.
According to Michael Bland, executive director of Black Men Vote PAC, Baraka has been a champion for Black men and figures to continue that representation as he makes his intentions to better the State of New Jersey clear as the June 10 mayoral primary approaches.
“Ras Baraka has always met Black men where we are, whether it’s in the boardroom or on the block, in the classroom or on the court. He’s a mayor who governs with vision and conviction and he will do the same as Governor of the Garden State,” Bland said in the press release announcing the endorsement.
He continued, “Mayor Baraka’s leadership reflects the ‘both/and’ experience of Black men. We must both navigate systems that were never built for us and build new ones rooted in justice, dignity, and collective power. His entire life trajectory is evidence of the fact that when you empower Black men, you lift entire communities. He listens. He leads. And he delivers.”
Baraka accepted the endorsement from the group, and remarked that it is a signal that his campaign speaks to and for the lives of Black men across the state.
“This endorsement from Black Men Vote PAC is more than political, it’s deeply personal and reflects the values that our campaign stands for,” Mayor Baraka said. “It affirms that our campaign is speaking to the real lives of Black men across New Jersey, men who are both resilient and visionary, both burdened by injustice and builders of a better future.”
The move is believed to be the first endorsement from the Black Men Vote PAC, and as Insider reports, it represents the PAC’s desire to move from mobilizing voters, as it did during Kamala Harris’ campaign during the 2024 election, into building more sustained Black political power that targets Black men specifically.
In April, Baraka received a notable endorsement from the Working Families Party and other progressive groups as well as several unions, which a press release called an unprecedented and historic collective endorsement, and is in itself a signal of his commitment to working people.
According to Dena Mottola Jaborska, executive director for New Jersey Citizen Action, “New Jerseyans face a grave affordability crisis, with health care, utility, and in particular housing costs continuing to spiral out of control. Ras Baraka stands as the best choice from a field of talented candidates to address this crisis. His commitment to uplifting working families, to economic reinvestments in hard-hit communities, and to sweeping reforms geared towards revitalizing affordable housing will ensure we build a New Jersey where everyone can thrive, not just the wealthy or politically connected. New Jersey Citizen Action stands ready to help build a coalition that will elect a champion and protector of low- and moderate-income people.”
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