Together, 1037 members and our friends and families worked hard to restore the City of Newark to the people of Newark. You should be proud that not only were we the first Union to endorse Ras Baraka for Mayor, we were also the driving force on the streets for months – knocking on doors and spreading the word about our movement to transform our city. Now, with our victory on Tuesday night, WE are the next Mayor of Newark – and our future looks bright!
Our opponent and his financial backers outspent Ras by 4 to 1, but it was our ground game that made the difference. Despite millions of dollars pouring in from Wall Street against us, Baraka’s message that “when he becomes mayor, WE become Mayor,” resonated across the city. When the voting was complete, the people of Newark gave Ras the win by a margin of 8 points.
Our message made it to the hearts and minds of Newark voters because of YOU. All your hard work making phone calls, knocking on doors, attending rallies and spreading the word to everyone you know is what earned this victory. Because of you we were able to ensure that we elected a Mayor that stands for the people of Newark and not the outside interests of the 1%. In the end, the people defeated the profiteers. Or, as some have remarked, Broad Street beat Wall Street.
But it wasn’t just CWA Local 1037 members who catapulted Ras Baraka to victory. Our close partnerships with the NJ Working Families Alliance, NJ Communities United and the Newark Students Union – coupled with Team Baraka’s operation — made our ground game the most effective in the city and the envy of every political operative in the state. Together, our combined army of volunteers worked for months to push back against the political bosses in South Jersey and right here in Essex County. And in an unprecedented fashion, we won!
The real work of restoring the City of Newark to the people of Newark is just beginning, and this powerful coalition of organizations representing working people and our children will work just as hard moving forward as we did to get Ras elected.
It’s a new day in Newark. It’s our time. And we couldn’t be more thrilled. Now the real work begins.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSION, DEDICATION AND ALL YOUR HARD WORK!