Newark mayor Ras Baraka is putting the rumors to rest in the middle of a fiery speech honoring Black History Month at the Trenton war memorial on Monday Baraka told a cheering crowd he wants to be the next governor of New Jersey there's been talk among political circles for years that baraco was eyeing a run that part was expected what no one anticipated was that he dropped the bombshell mid speech without a formal campaign launch that you too can stand here at the tritten war memorial and say I want to be the governor of the state of New Jersey cenching even his most fervent supporters off guard there including congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman who joined him on stage Baraka is a former High School principal who served as mayor of the state's largest city for a decade if elected he'll be the first black governor in New Jersey history but before voters cast their ballot in the 2025 gubinatorial election they'll first have to decide if they want to put another Murphy in office first lady Tammy Murphy's bid for a US senate seat is kicking it up a notch as she looks to set herself apart from her husband most recently putting her at odds with the governor on a long debated natural gas power plant a proposal the Administration has allowed to move forward but Tammy Murphy now opposes senior police itical correspondent David Cruz reports first lady Tammy Murphy wanted to make a couple of things clear today one she was here in the Ironbound not as first lady but as a candidate for US Senate highlighting a policy position and two to say I stand strongly uh together with you and I oppose the pbsc uh plant an additional one in this space the proposed Pake Valley sewage commission power plant in newark's Ironbound Community is a controversial proposal to build a backup facility to the existing structure here as a way to protect against Power failures like the one that created an environmental mess in Newark during superstorm Sandy residents here and others have been fighting the plan for years we've had hope and Hope's a stubborn thing that maybe just maybe a small neighborhood a small well the largest city right with a mighty heart can defeat a fourth power plant against all the powers that be especially in the times of climate change as a matter of politics though today's event was intended to put some distance between the first lady and the governor who's been dragging his heels on the issue and giving more reasons to be for it than against it despite her reminding us that she was here as a US Senate candidate and not as a first lady reporters wanted to know how the Senate candidate with the most access to the man with the most influence on the issue was using it or not using it you have to admit though that you do have extraordinary access to the governor who has uh an important role to play here is it your contention that you're purposely not speaking to him about it or you just don't want to share those conversations with us now you know I listen I am again I'm going to say this this is one person an independent thinker who is coming to you today and saying from my vantage point we have to reassess this I am not speaking for the governor and have you talked to him about it uh I am I've been talking to other people about this this is not a this is not something that that I would uh you know I'm I'm I'm not here to stand up and speak for the administration that's not my role here today and if that's the essence of your questions with all due respect that's the end of the the PVS C had no comment on Murphy's event the first lady is the highest profile opponent of the proposal and environmentalists here were applauding her joining the fight but the fact is says the assembly woman who represents the Ironbound Tammy Murphy was here as a candidate for office not as a policy maker right exactly and it's helpful right um it's helpful when there's a political capacity that is also married um to the governor of the state of New Jersey um and I think that the governor will end up doing the right thing which could be seen as a good thing for a Senate candidate who so far has been getting criticized for her proximity to the governor even if she's still working on how best to articulate how find the line is that she's trying to walk I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight news